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^ 


THE 


Zr^tt^tin  ^(  ^^^  Se«« ; 


SORROW   ON  THE   OCEAN,   LAKE, 
AND  RIVER, 


SHIPWRECK,  PLAGUE,  FIRE,  AND  FAMINE. 


^^-^'^^-^^  *^*- 


Her  signal  °fun  boomed  o'er  the  wave, 
When  midnight  veiled  Comnna's  bay  3 

For  help  the  hapless  crew  to  save, 

He  coursed  the  strand  at  dawn  of  day." 

Don  Alvauez, 


BY    CHARLES    ELLMS. 


^Cni  OF  com8i^>^ 


NEW  YORK : 

COLLINS,    KEESE    &    CO 

1841. 


^. 


^OpWASt^'-^"^ 


cj^: 


ENTERED  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  1841.. 
BY  CHARLES  ELLMS,  IN  THE  CLERK's  OFFICE  OF  THE  DISTRICT 
COURT    OF    THE    DISTRICT    OF    MASSACHUSETTS. 


C.    SHERMAN    AND    CO.,    PRINTERS, 
19,    ST.    JAMES    STREET,    PHILADELPHIA. 


Boston  Light  House. 


PREFACE. 


The  imaginative  mind  of  man  has  delighted  to  trace 
the  origin  of  navigation  from  the  instinctive  motions  of 
the  buoyant  nautilus,  as  it  spreads  its  tiny  sail  to  the 
breeze,  or  the  appearance  of  a  floating  oak,  which,  up- 
rooted by  the  sudden  ravages  of  inundation,  supported 
the  animal  that  had  reposed  beneath  its  shade.  But, 
passing  by  the  numerous  fanciful  and  traditionary  ac- 
counts of  profane  history,  we  have  the  sacred  record 
that  it  originated  in  that  stupendous  act  of  divine  mercy 
and  immutable  justice,  by  which  the  human  race  were 
punished  and  preserved,  —  by  which  the  earth  was  puri- 
fied throughout  its  most  distant  extent;  and  the  great 
archetype  of  navigation  was  the  Ark  of  Noah,  con- 
structed by  divine  direction. 

The  rude  essays  in  boat-building  of  all  savage  na- 
tions appear  to  have  arrived  at  similar  results.  The 
difference  is  small  between  the  canoe  of  the  South  Sea 
islander,  hollowed  out  by  fire,  and  that  of  the  Esqui- 
maux, framed  of  the  bones  of  beasts  and  fishes,  and  cov- 
ered with  seal-skins  —  the  canoe  of  the  African  and  the 
American  Indian.  The  barks  of  the  early  Britons,  made 
of  wattled  osiers,  and  covered  with  hides,  are,  under  the 
name  of  coracles,   used  in    England   at  the    present  day. 


iv  PREFACE. 

The  natives  of  the  North  West  Coast  of  America  ven- 
ture forth,  in  the  roughest  weather,  in  their  skin-covered 
canoes,  and  can  outstrip  the  swiftest  barge  in  speed.  The 
flying  proa  of  the  Ladrone  Islands  sails  nearer  the  wind, 
and  with  a  velocity  far  greater  than  science  and  philosophy 
have  ever  enabled  civilized  man  to  attain. 

The  improvement  of  naval  architecture  advanced  with 
the  arts  of  civilization;  and  from  the  canoe  were  succes- 
sively produced  the  barge,  galley,  carravel,  carrack,  and 
ship.  And  by  the  appliance  of  steam  power,  continents 
are  joined,  and  extensive  seas  are  traversed,  with  the 
same  regularity,  but  far  greater  speed,  than  by  land  travel. 

What  can  convey  a  more  exalted  idea  of  human 
daring  and  fortitude,  than  the  boldness  with  which  man 
rushes  forth  to  encounter  the  storms  and  waves  of  those 
two  mighty  elements,  the  air  and  ocean?  What  can 
speak  louder  in  praise  of  human  ingenuity,  than  the 
wonderful  art  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  boldly  steer 
from  the  land  until  it  fades  in  the  horizon,  and  nothing 
is  to  be  seen  but  the  heavenly  concave  above  and  a 
watery  waste  around  him?  Yet  by  perseverance  he 
wearies  out  the  elements,  and  reaches  his  destined  port 
in  safety. 

But  often  all  his  perseverance,  fortitude,  and  ingenuity, 
avail  him  nothing  ;  and  he  neither  reaches  his  destined 
haven  nor  any  other,  on  this  side  of  eternity,  having 
fallen  a  victim  to  the  disasters  of  the  ocean. 

Reader !  these  misfortunes,  produced  by  shipwreck, 
fire,  and  famine,  compose  this  volume,  prepared  for  your 
perusal. 


Nix's  Mate,  in  Boston  Harbor,  at  low  water. 


He  must  not  float  upon  his  watery  bier, 
Unwept,  and  welter  to  the  parching  wind. 

******* 
Let  our  frail  thoughts  dally  with  false  surmise, 
Ay  me!  whilst  thee  the  shores  and  sounding  seas 
VVash  far  away."  Milton. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  strongest  sympathies  and  emotions  of  our  nature  are 
justly  called  forth  by  the  perilous  adventures  and  unknown 
fate  which  so  often  befall  *'  those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in 
ships,  and  do  business  on  the  great  waters."  How  many 
breasts  are  daily  agitated  by  the  alternate  throbs  of  hope  and 
fear,  as  the  ''  Shipping  News "  is  read  over  for  tidings  of  the 
vessel  that  has  long  been  missing,  and  on  board  of  which  a 
husband,  brother,  son,  or  some  other  loved  one,  has  embarked! 
And,  long,  long  after  all  probability  that  he  will  ever  again 
be  heard  from  has  ceased,  hope,  that  balm  of  life,  still  cheers 
up  the  faint  heart. 

Angel  of  life !  thy  glittering'  wings  explore 
Earth's  loneliest  bounds,  and  ocean's  wildest  sliore. 
I* 


VI 


INTRODUCTION. 


And  if  the  lost  one  was  on  a  voyage  to  the  Indies,  or  had 
rounded  Cape  Horn,  to  cruise  among  the  coral  Archipelagos 
of  the  South  Seas,  the  imagination  may  come  to  the  aid  of 
hope,  and  a  distant  vision  of  that  missing  ship  float  before  the 
mind's  eye. 

As  she  briskly  sails  on  the  blue  waters  of  a  tropical  sea, 
the  breeze  gradually  dies  away,  and  a  calm  succeeds;  the  sails 
idly  flap  against  the  masts;  not  a  zephyr  moves  the  sleeping 
canvass;  and  the  extended  yards  and  booms  lazily  creak  in 
their  slings  and  sockets,  as  she  languidly  reposes  on  her  own 
shadow.  The  waters  seem  petrified  into  polished  blue  marble, 
tempting  one  to  walk  on  their  treacherous  surface;  and  the 
feverish  crew  are  oppressed  by  the  excessive  heat  and  closeness 
of  the  atmosphere.  But  the  calms  of  the  ocean,  like  those 
of  life,  are  short ;  soon  a  change  of  weather  is  apparent,  and 
the  gray,  misty  hues  of  the  horizon  are  every  instant  grow- 
ing denser  and  darker.  The  men  aloft  are  sending  down  the 
light  masts  and  spars,  and  those  on  deck  clewing  up  the  sails, 
lashing  the  boats,  and  securing  the  hatchways.  The  sea  is  now 
lashed  up  into  dark  billows,  with  their  foaming  crests,  and  the 
storm  strikes  the  ship.  In  an  instant,  the  little  sail  that  remains 
spread  is  blown  into  ribbons,  and  the  ship  staggers  before  the 
hurricane,  under  bare  poles,  with  nothing  to  hold  the  furious 
wind,  but  the  bending,  straining  masts  and  the  wailing  cordage. 


After  the  first  fury  of  the  gale  is  spent,  she  is  carefully  luffed 
up  to  the  wind,  and  laid  to  under  a  close-reefed  storm-staysail. 
With  the  sea  white  with  foam,  and  the  sky  of  a  pitchy  darkness, 
night  sets  in.  Soon  a  heavy  sea  is  shipped,  which  sweeps  the 
decks,  carrying  overboard  the  long-boat  and  part  of  the  crew; 
and,  during  the  middle  watches,  the  ship  strikes  a  sunken  rock 
with  fearful  violence.  One  mast  goes  by  the  board,  and  the 
others  are  cut  away,  to  relieve  the  ship.  The  waves  now  break 
over  her,  washing  off  many  of  the  crew.  The  morning  comes : 
a  reddish  glimmer  in  the  east,  with  a  dark  scud  above,  discovers 


INTRODUCTION. 


VU 


the  situation  of  the  ship,  lying  along  a  bed  of  coral  rocks,  and 
fixed  within  its  jagged  points;  and,  through  the  thick  showers 
of  spray,  at  no  great  distance,  the  head  of  the  lofty  palm  is  seen, 
bowing  to  the  blast.  The  storm  having  expended  its  fury,  as  the 
sun  rises,  the  gale  abates,  and  the  survivors,  among  whom  is  the 
cherished  friend,  effect  a  landing. 

The  island  is  uninhabited  by  man,  but  abounding  in  all  the 
charms  and  luxuries  of  nature.  Around  the  coral  shores  grows 
the  cocoa  palm. 

"The  Indian's  nut  alone 

Is  clothing,  meat  and  trencher,  drink  and  can, 

Boat,  cable,  sail,  and  needle,  all  in  one." 

The  interior  is  composed  of  mountain,  stream,  valley,  lawns, 
and  deep  dells;  and  among  the  spicy  groves,  birds  of  tuneful 
song  and  gorgeous  plumage  fly.  The  fat  and  juicy  turtle 
grazes  on  the  sea-grass  of  the  strand;  the  ponds  abound  with 
rice,  and  the  uplands  with  the  sweet  yam  ;  a  dessert  is  found 
in  the  milky  cocoa-nut,  the  melting  plantain  fruit,  the  luscious 
mango,  mangosteen,  and  pine-apple.  Under  a  pretty  clump  of 
palm-trees  they  build  a  hut  of  bamboos,  the  sides  wattled  with 
ratans,  the  roof  thatched  with  cadjan  leaves,  and  the  wicker  door 
interwoven  with  split  reeds.  Here  they  sing,  and  pray,  and  keep 
calm  Sabbaths. 


To  such  a  solitary  paradise  the  imagination  may  fondly  trace 
the  unknown  fate  of  one  who  left  his  home  for  distant  Shores, 
and  "  was  never  heard  of  more." 

What   spell  is  in  those  words,   'Uvas  never  heard  of  more" 


VIU 


INTRODUCTION. 


to  enchain  the  imagination  as  they  do  ?  Why  has  the  vague  and 
mournful  fate  of  Mungo  Park  more  power  to  wake  our  human 
sympathies  than  all  the  detailed  horrors  of  an  authenticated 
martyrdom  1  How  does  the  curious  fancy  follow  him  through 
savage  wilds  and  unknown  perils,  and  wander  like  a  mournful 
ghost  round  the  spot  where  the  last  faint  traces  of  his  pilgrimage 
are  lost  in  dark  and  horrible  rumors  of  murder  and  treachery ! 

Who  does  not  love  to  ponder  on  the  romantic  fate  of  La  Pe- 
rouse,  as  circumstantially  told  by  the  fragments  of  his  vessels, 
and  the  traditions  of  the  islanders  where  he  was  wrecked,  after 
being  enveloped  in  profound  mystery  for  forty  years! 

But  what  shipwreck,  however  fearful  its  relation,  can  have 
more  intense  interest  in  one's  eyes  than  these  words,  copied  from 
an  old  English  newspaper  —  "The  Buckinghamshire  East  In- 
diaman  left  London  the  13th  of  May,  1769.  She  is  supposed 
to  have  foundered  at  sea,  with  one  hundred  and  forty  souls  on 
board,  as  she  has  never  been  heard  of  since!" 


Reader,  we  will  leave  your  imagination  to  discover  the- way  in 
which  this  Indiaman  met  her  fate. 

But,  leaving  the  regions  of  fancy,  we  will  alight  on  the  hard 
rocks  of  reality.  The  Narratives  that  follow  are  plain,  true, 
and  unvarnished  ;  and  if  the  hand  that  guided  the  rudder  in 
the  hour  of  misfortune  was  prevented,  by  the  physical  elements, 
from  steering  a  correct  course,  nothing  has  prevented  truth,  that 
moral  magnet  of  the  mind,  from  invariably  guiding  the  survivor 
in  his  narration. 


Year.  Page. 

1834.  An  affecting  Narrative  of  the  Loss  of  the  CHARLES 
EATON,  on  the  Great  Barrier  Reef  of  New  Holland,  and  the 
Massacre  of  nearly  all  the  Ship's  Company  by  the  Na- 
tives; with  a  Journal  of  the  Proceedings  on  Board  of  the 
Schooner  Isabella,  when  in  Search  of  the  Survivors,  and  the 
Rescue  of  the  Infant  William  D'Oyley  from  the  Polynesian 
Cannibals, 13 

1837.      A  Narrative  of  the  Wreck  of  the  BRIG  REGULATOR, 

off  Plymouth,  in  Massachusetts  Bay, 41 

1835.  The  singular  Preservation  of  JAMES  BROCK,  the  Beachman, 
who  was  CAPSIZED  IN  A  Yawl  off  Yarmouth,  on  the  Eastern 
Coast  of  England;  and  his  providential  Rescue,  after  swimming 
more  than  Fourteen  Miles, 50 

1837.  A  detailed  Journal  of  the  Proceedings  on  Board  of  the  STEAM- 
PACKET  HOME,  which  sprung  a-leak  off  Cape  Hatteras; 
with  a  melancholy  Account  of  her  Subsequent  Loss  on  Ocra- 
coKE  Island,  off  the  Coast  of  North  Carolina, 58 

1837.  Horrid  Particulars  of  the  Proceedings  on  Board  of  the 
SHIP  FRANCIS  SPAIGHT,  which  foundered  in. the  At- 
I.ANTIC  Ocean, , 85 


X 


m 


Year.  Page. 

1817.  The  Pamperos  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata;  with  the  remarkable 
Narrative  of  Mr.  George  Fracker,  the  sole  Survivor  of  the 
Crew  of  the  SHIP  JANE ;  his  Escape  to  the  Shore,  and  per- 
ilous Situation  while  among  the  Guachas  of  South 
America, .- 89 

1821.      The  remarkable  Narrative  of  the  SHIP  SEA-FOX,  which 

was    CAPSIZED    BY    A    SquALL    IN    THE    ATLANTIC     OcEAN  ;    with 

the  Sufferings  of  Four  of  the  Crew,  who  were  confined  in 
THE  Forecastle  three  Days;  and  their  Rescue  from  this 
perilous  Situation,  by  cutting  through  the  Deck, 116 

1818.  Extract  from  the  Log-Book  of  the  SHIP  OGLETHORPE, 
which  was  struck  by  Lightning,  during  a  Voyage  from 
Savannah  to  Liverpool ;  being  an  Account  of  the  Proceedings 

on  Board  of  that  Vessel  when  on  Fire, 123 

1832.  The  V^^reck  of  the  American  WHALE-SHIP  MENTOR 
on  the  Coral  Reefs  of  the  Pelew  Islands;  with  the  Captivity 
AND  Escape  of  Horace  Holden  and  -Benjamin  H.  Nute,  who 
for  two  Years  were  subjected  to  unheard-of  Sufferings  among 
the  barbarous  Inhabitants  of  Lord  North's  Island, 127 

1839.  Dr.  Madden's  Narrative  of  the  Noble  Conduct  of  Captain 
Collins  of  the  PACKET  SHIP  ROSCIUS  of  New  York,  in 
rescuing  the  Officers  and  Crew  of  the  English  SHIP  SCOTIA, 
which  was  water-logged  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 155 

1837.  The  melancholy  Account  of  the  Loss  or  the  STEAM- 
PACKET  PULASKI,  off  Cape  Look-Out,  on  the  Coast  of 
North  Carolina,  occasioned  by  the  Explosion  of  the  Steam- 
Boiler;  with  the  Narratives  of  the  Sufferings  and  affecting 
Scenes  which  those  passed  through  who  survived  the  Catas- 
trophe, whilst  floating  on  Fragments  of  the  Wreck,  and  in 
reaching  the  Shore  in  Boats, 361 

1835.      The  Burning  of  the  SHIP  SIR  WALTER  SCOTT,  which 

was  STRUCK  by  Lightning, 191 

1826.      The  Famine  on  Board  of  the  SHIP  FRANCES  MARY, 

which  FOUNDERED   IN  THE   ATLANTIC    OcEAN, 193 

1838.  The  HEROISM  OF  A  STEAMBOAT  ENGINEER,  during 

a  Gale  on  Lake  Erie, 197 

1838.  The  History  of  Bamborough  Castle,  on  the  North-Eastern 
Coast  of  England;  with  the  HEROISM  OF  GRACE  DAR- 
LING, of  the  Longstone  Light-House,  in  rescuing  the  ship- 
wrecked Company  of  the  FORFARSHIRE  STEAM-PACKET,  199 

1835.      A  Diary  of  the  Wreck  of  H.  B.  M.  SHIP   CHALLENGER 
on  the  Western  Coast  of  South  America;  with  an  Account  o 
the  Encampment  of  the  Officers  and  Crew,  during  a  Period 
of  two  Months,  on  the  South  Coast  of  Chili,  and  their  subse- 
quent Adventures  on  the  Plains  of  Molguilla, 211 

1835.  Nautical  Skill  evinced  in  extricating  the  FRIGATE 
PIQUE  from  her  perilous  Situation  on  the  Rocks  of 
Labrador,  where  she  lost  her  Keel:  and  the  Passage  across 
the  Atlantic,  during  which  she  lost  her  Rudder,  and  was 
steered  fifteen  Hundred  Miles  avithout  any, 226 

1836.  Affecting  Accident  — A  CHILD  OVERBOARD, 235 


@©@@@@@@ 


XI 


Year.  Page. 

1837.  The  Stranding  of  the  BARQUE  MEXICO,  on  Hempstead 
Beach,  South  Shore  of  Long  Island ;  by  which  Catastrophe  one 

HUNDRED  AND  SIXTEEN  LiVES  WERE  LOST, 236 

1805.  A  graphic  Description  of  the  perilous  Situation  and  Pro- 
ceedings ON  Board  of  the  SHIP  CENTAUR  OF  74  GUNS, 
Captain  Henry  Whitby,  during  a  Hurricane  experienced  by  a 
Squadron  under  the  Command  of  Commodore  De  Courcy,  in 
which  she  sprung  a-leak,  and  was  dismasted,  and  thereby 
prevented  from  joining  Lord  Nelson's  Fleet,  and  taking  her 
Station  in  the  Line  of  Trafalgar, 247 

1832.  Some  Particulars  respecting  A  JAPANESE  VESSEL  which 
reached  Woahoo,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  after  being  blown 
off  the  Coast  of  Japan,  and  drifting  on  the  Ocean  nearly  a 
Te  A  R, 262 

1840.  Eight  Days  on  Board  of  a  burning  Ship  ;  being  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Officers  and  Crew  of  the  BARQUE  BUR- 
LINGTON, which  was  struck  by  Lightning  and  burnt  in 
the  Atlantic  Ocean, 264 

1585.  Shipwreck  of  the  Portuguese  Admiral  FERNANDO 
DE  MENDOZA  on  the  Bassas  de  Juida,  in  the  Indian  Ocean ; 
with  the  affecting  Proceedings  of  two  Brothers, 270 

1835.  The  Loss  of  the  ROYAL  CHARLOTTE  on  the  Coral 
Rocks  of  Frederick's  Reef;  with  a  Narrative  of  the  Sojourn 
and  Sufferings  of  her  Company  on  that  low  Place,  during  the 
Voyage  of  the  Long-Boat  to  New  Holland  for  Assistance,  and 
the  Arrival  of  a  Vessel  for  their  Relief, 275 

1836.  The  Loss  of  the  BARQUE  MEDUSA,  an  English  West 
Indiaman,  which  was  driven  on  the  Rocks  of  the  Colorados 
Reef,  off  the  Island  of  Cuba, 290 

1836.      The  Conflagration  of  the  STEAMER  ROYAL  TAR,  in 

Penobscot  Bay,  off  the  Coast  of  Maine, 295 

1803.  A  Terrible  Typhoon  encountered  by  the  SHIP  FANNY 
in  the  Chinese  Ocean;  during  which  she  lost  her  Foremast 
AND  Rudder.  After  reaching  the  Island  of  Hainan,  she  was 
BLOWN  OFF  THE  CoAST,  and  LOST  ON  A  Reef  OF  RocKS,  whcre 
her  Company  built  two  Floats,  in  which  they  embarked,  and 
reached  Malacca,  a  Distance  of  eleven  hundred  Miles,....  308 

1823.  The  miraculous  Escape  of  a  LASCAR,  who  was  washed 
OVERBOARD  during  a  Gale  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and  after  swim- 
ming  THIRTEEN   HoURS,   WITHOUT  ANY   SuPPORT,  WaS  pickcd   Up 

by  a  passing  Ship, 322 

1838.  An  Account  of  the  Wreck  of  the  BRIG  ALNA  on  the 
Coast  of  East  Florida,  and  the  Massacre  of  the  Officers, 
AND  Part  of  the  Crew,  by  the  Seminole  Indians;  and  the 
Escape  and  subsequent  Adventures  and  Sufferings  of 
two  of  the  Crew, 324 

1833.  A  Detail  of  the  terrible  Proceedings  on  Board  of  an  Italian 
Brig,  the  ESPIRITO  SANTO,  in  which  the  Plague  broke  out, 
during  a  Voyage  from  Alexandria  towards  Leghorn;  by  which 
awful  Visitation  the  Crew  became  unable  to  manage  the  Vessel, 
and  she  was  wrecked  near  Castle  Rosas,  on  the  Coast  of 
Karamania,  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 330 


Xll 


Year. 
1837, 


1836, 


1808, 


1823, 


1838. 


1833, 


1840, 


m^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

Page. 
A  descriptive  Sketch  of  the  River  Mississippi,  with  illustra- 
tive Anecdotes  of  its  dangerous   Navigation ;    and  an  affecting 
Account  of  the  Burning  of  the  BEIN  SHERROD,  a  Steamboat 
on  that  River,. 343 

An  interesting  Account  of  a  Boat,  containing  NINE  NA- 
TIVES, which  was  blown  off  the  Maldive  Islands,  in  the 
Indian  Ocean,  and  was  swept  bv  a  south-west  Monsoon 
ACROSS  the  great  Bay  of  Bengal  to  the  Coast  of  Siam,  a 
Distance  of  more  than  two  thousand  Miles, 355 

The  Fights  and  Adventures  of  the  Crew  of  the  Russian 
American  Company's  Ship  the  ST.  NTCHOLAI,  during  a  So- 
journ of  a  Year  amongst  the  hostile  Natives  of  the  North- West 
Coast  of  America,. 361 

The  Sufferings  of  FOUR  NEGROES,  who  escaped  from 
the  Seychelles  Islands,  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  were  picked 
up  in  the  Mozambique  Channel, i 376 

The  Explosion  of  the  STEAMBOAT  MOSELLE,  at  Cin- 
cinnati,  on  the  Ohio  River ;  containing  a  minute  Detail  of  that 
terrible  Event,  and  of  the  tremendous  Force  of  the  Steam, 380 

The  UNKNOWN  Fate  of  M.  De  Blosseville,  of  the  FRENCH 
BRIG-OF-WAR  LILLOISE,  who  sailed  on  a  Voyage  of  Dis- 
covery to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  never  returned;  with  the  detailed 
Journals  of  the  three  Voyages  undertaken  by  the  French  Gov- 
ernment, in  Search  of  this  celebrated  but  unfortunate  Navigator 
and  his  Comrades, 388 

A  vivid  Description  of  the  Burning  of  the  STEAMBOAT 
LEXINGTON,  during  a  Winter's  Night,  on  the  Waters  of  Long 
Island  Sound, 417 


AN    AFFECTING    NARRATIVE 


OF     THE 


r"^ 


On  the  Great  Barrier  Reef  of  New  Holland,  and  the 
Massacre  of  nearly  all  the  Ship's  Company  by  the 
Natives;  with  a  Journal  of  the  Proceedings  on 
Board  of  the  Schooner  Isabella,  when  in  Search 
of  the  Survivors,  and  the  Rescue  of  the  Infant 
William  D'Oyley  from  the  Polynesian  Cannibals, 
Aumist,  1834. 


HE  fate  of  the  Charles  Eaton  and  her 
company  was,  f^r  about  two  years,  the 
subject  of  intense  interest  and  anxiety 
to  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  India. 
At  length  five  of  her  crew  reached 
Batavia  in  December,  1835.  The  ac- 
count they  gave  of  the  disaster  was, 
that  the  ship  was  lost  on  the  Barrier  Reef  of  New  Holland. 
2 


14  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

Soon  after  striking,  she  bilged,  lost  her  rudder,  and 
carried  away  her  masts,  the  sea  making  a  clear  breach 
over  her.  One  of  the  quarter-boats  was  lowered,  into 
which  were  thrown  sails,  provisions,  &c.  The  third  mate, 
carpenter,  and  five  seamen,  entered  her,  pushed  off,  and 
soon  lost  sight  of  the  ship.  They  stated  that  when  they 
left  her,  the  crew  and  passengers  were  all  alive  on  the 
forecastle.  The  first  land  they  made  was  Timor  Laut, 
where  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  natives ;  but  they 
were  generally  well  treated,  and  after  remaining  on  the 
island  thirteen  months,  they  persuaded  the  natives  to  let 
them  take  passage  in  a  return  proa  to  Amboyna,  prom- 
ising to  send  them  back  presents  of  muskets,  ammunition, 
&c.  They  arrived  here  in  October,  and  reached  Batavia 
in*  December. 

A  clew  was  thus  obtained  as  to  the  probable  situation 
of  those  left  behind,  if  hving;  and  as  a  lady  of  rare 
accomplishments,  and  her  interesting  children,  together 
with  several  highly-respectable  passengers,  were  among 
the  sufferers,  a  strong  sentiment  pervaded  the  minds  of 
the  public,  that  rigorous  exertions  should  be  made  to 
ascertain  if  any  were  yet  alive,  and  to  restore  them  to 
their  friends  and  the  blessings  of  civilized  life.  Accord- 
ingly, the  government  of  Bombay  despatched  the  brig-of- 
war  Tigris,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  the  spot  where  it 
was  supposed  the  ship  was  wrecked,  and  to  search  the 
reefs  and  islands  in  the  vicinity.  About  the  same  time, 
the  government  of  New  South  Wales  despatched  the 
armed  schooner  Isabella  on  the  same  errand  of  mercy. 
As  the  latter  vessel  first  reached  the  spot,  rescued  the 
survivors,  and  ascertained  the  awful  fate  of  the  dead, 
we  shall  insert  a  narrative  of  the  proceedings  on  board 
of  her. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1836,  the  Isabella,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Mr.  C.  M.  Lewis,  left  Sydney  in  search  of  the 
unfortunate  survivors  of  the  Charles  Eaton  ;  and  at  eight 
o'clock,  June  19th,  the  weather  being  thick  and  heavy,  the 
detached  reefs  on  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  were  seen 
bearing  west-north-west,  eight  or  ten  miles.  At  nine  o'clock, 
Murray's  Island,  from  the  mast-head,  bore  west  by  south, 
and  at  half  past  nine,  the  Isabella  entered  the  Cumberland's 


A    WHITE    MAN    DISCOVERED. 


15 


Passage,  which  was  cleared  at  ten,  and  at  eleven  o'clock 
was  anchored  ofF  the  north  side  of  Murray's  Island,  a  mile 
distant,  in  nineteen  fathoms,  sand  and  coral. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  secured,  the  attention  of  the 
crew  was  directed  to  the  shore,  on  the  beach  of  which  a 
group  of  Indians  was  collected,  showing  signals  of  peace  by 
extending  their  arms,  and  displaying  gestures  similar  to  the 
natives  of  the  main  ;  and  among  them  was  plainly  distin- 
guished a  naked  white  man.     The  Indians  were  preparing 


The  Schooner  Isabella  in  Search  of  the  Survivors. 

to  launch  their  canoes ;  and,  as  there  existed  some  doubts 
as  to  the  real  disposition  of  these  islanders,  every  prepara- 
tion of  defence  was  made  on  board  of  the  schooner  ;  but 
that  they  might  not  be  deterred  from  visiting  the  vessel,  the 
loaded  guns  were  run  in,  and  one  half  of  the  crew  .was 
concealed  below,  in  readiness  to  repel  any  attack.  To  the 
westward  a  canoe  was  observed  under  sail. 


16  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

It  was  not  long  before  four  canoes  came  off,  each  of 
which  contained  sixteen  men.  On  their  approach  they  be- 
gan to  make  signs  of  friendship,  by  rubbing  the  hand  over 
the  abdomen,  and  calhng  out  in  loud  voices,  "Poud4 
poud  !  "  (peace,  peace.)  Their  object  was  to  trade  ;  and 
for  that  purpose  they  had  brought  tortoise-shell,  cocoa-nuts, 
and  other  trifles,  which,  as  they  approached  the  ship,  they 
held  up,  calling  out,  "  Tooree,"  and  "  toolick  ; "  meaning 
iron  tools,  such  as  knives  and  axes.  It  was,  however,  pre- 
tended by  signs  that  they  were  not  understood,  in  the  hope 
that  tliby  would  bring  off  the  white  man  to  interpret  for 
them  ;  at  the  same  time  some  axes  were  displayed,  the  sight 
of  which  made  the  Indians  so  anxious  to  possess  them,  that 
although  they  might  have  easily  been  induced  to  give  up 
their  nearest  relations  in  exchange,  yet  they  showed  great 
reluctance  in  producing  the  white  man  ;  and  it  was  not  until 
they  found  their  trade  would  not  be  allowed,  and  they  began 
to  be  impatient  to  possess  the  valuable  articles  which  they 
had  seen,  that  they  sent  a  canoe  to  the  shore,  which  returned 
in  an  hour  with  him  ;  but  he  was  not  permitted  to  come  on 
board  until  some  axes  were  given  in  exchange.  Upon  in- 
terrogating him,  Mr.  Lewis  was  very  much  gratified  to  find 
that  he  was  one  of  the  unfortunate  crew  of  the  Charles 
Eaton,  —  his  name  being  John  Ireland. 

Deferring  any  further  inquiries  for  the  present,  Mr.  Lewis 
gave  the  crew  permission  to  trade  with  the  Indians ;  upon 
which  an  active  barter  commenced^  and  was  carried  on  with 
great  briskness  and  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  The  first 
present  which  was  given  them  was  some  empty  glass  bottles, 
which  they  call  "  tarpoor,"  on  which  a  few  lines,  explaining 
the  particulars  and  intention  of  the  schooner's  visit  had  been 
scratched,  in  order  that  should  any  white  people  be  on  the 
island,  they  might  be  informed  of  the  means  of  escape 
which  was  now  open  to  them.  Ireland  informed  Mr. 
Lewis  that  he  had  been  treated  with  great  kindness  by  the 
Indians  generally,  but  pointed  out  one  in- particular,  whose 
name  was  Duppar,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  his  life  and 
protection,  and  from  whom  he  had  even  received  parental 
kindness.  A  favorable  opportunity  was  therefore  afforded 
of  rewarding  him  for  his  humanity.  He  was  invited  on 
board,  clothed  in  "fine  linen,"  and  loaded  with  presents, 


A    SAVAGE    REWARDED.  IRELANd's    STORY.  17 

which  put  the  old  man  in  high  spirits ;  and  if  possessed  of  a 
reflective  mind,  he  would  doubtless  have  been  amply  repaid 
in  the  satisfaction  of' witnessing  the  delight  that  must  have 
been  visible  in  the  faces  of  all  on  board,  and  of  having  been 
the  means  of  restoring  his  adopted  son  to  his  countrymen. 
But  it  is  to  be  feared  that  these  sentiments  are  foreign  to  the 
savage,  and  that  he  would  not  have  so  readily  given  up  his 
yrotege  had  he  not  been  allured  by  the  desire  of  possessing 
the  enticing  baits  that  were  held  out  to  him.  Duppar, 
however,  seemed  pleased  and  satisfied  with  his  reception 
and  treatment. 

Ireland  now  informed  Mr.  Lewis  that  the  youngest  son  of 
Captain  D'Oyley  was  also  on  shore.  Upon  applying  to  the 
Indians  to  go  for  him,  they  said  he  was  on  the  other  side  of 
the  island,  and  could  not  be  produced  that  night,  but  prom- 
ised that  they  would  bring  him  on  board  in  the  morning. 
Fearing,  however,  that  their  reluctance  to  part  with  the 
child  might  induce  them  to  conceal  him,  all  bartering  was 
ordered  to  be  suspended  until  he  was  given  up ;  soon  after 
which  the  canoes  left  the  vessel  and  returned  to  the  shore. 

Mr.  Lewis  had  now  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  from 
Ireland  the  account  of  the  loss  of  the  Charles  Eaton,  but 
found  great  difficulty  in  understanding  him,  for  the  boy  had 
forgotten  his  native  tongue,  and  mixed  the  Murray  Island 
language  so  much  with  his  own  that  he  was  unintelligible. 
Nor,  indeed,  was  it  until  several  days  afterwards  that  the 
events  which  compose  the  follovv^ing  melancholy  tale  could 
be  elicited. 

The  Charles  Eaton  left  Sydney  on  the  29th  of  July, 
1834,  bound  to  Canton,  by  way  of  Torres  Strait,  and  expe- 
rienced a  series  of  fine  weather  and  favorable  winds  until 
she  approached  the  Barrier  Reefs,  when  the  weather  became 
thick  and  rainy.  The  master,  being  provided  with  a  good 
chart,  steered  boldly  for  the  reefs.  Unfortunately  for  him, 
the  weather  was  so  clouded  on  approaching  the  Barriers, 
that  he  could  obtain  no  observation  for  the  latitude ;  and  yet 
it  would  appear  that  the  ship  was  in  a  very  favorable 
position. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  reefs  were  sudden- 
ly perceived  close  to  ;  upon  which  the  ship  was  hove  up  in 
the  wind,  and  both  anchors  let  go,  and  the  cables  paid  out 
2* 


18  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

to  the  end ;  but  as  the  depth  was  probably  unfathomable, 
they  had  no  eftect,  for  she  drifted  on  the  reef  and  fell  over 
on  her  beam  ends.  The  chief  mate  then  cut  her  masts 
away  ;  but  the  bottom  was  soon  bilged,  and  every  thing  de- 
stroyed by  the  water  which  broke  over  the  decks,  and  the 
ship  became  a  perfect  wreck.  Happily  the  upper  part  of 
the  vessel  kept  together,  on  which  the  crew  and  passengers 
collected.  Soon  after  she  struck,  a  vessel  was  observed 
three  or  four  miles  to  windward,  high  and  dry  upon  the 
reefs,  with  her  masts  standing,  and  royal  yards  across,  and 
sails  set ;  in  which  position  she  must  have  been  left  by  her 
crew. 

During  the  confusion  that  existed,  one  of  the  quarter- 
boats  was  lowered,  but  immediately  swamped,  by  which  one 
man  was  drowned.  Soon  afterwards  three  of  the  crew,  with 
the  third  mate  and  carpenter,  put  sails,  provisions,  and  water, 
and  arms,  and  all  the  carpenter's  tools  into  the  quarter-boat, 
and  lowered  her  down,  and  kept  near  the  wreck  during  the 
day  and  following  night.  The  next  day  two  seamen  joined 
them,  after  which  they  refused  to  take  any  more,  although 
six  of  the  crew  made  their  way  over  the  reef  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  wished  to  be  taken  on  board.  The  boat,  however, 
bore  away,  and  was  seen  no  more.  The  master,  then,  as- 
sisted by  those  who  remained,  attempted  to  make  a  raft, 
which  was  not  completed  before  the  expiration  of  seven 
days.  During  this  period,  they  had  managed  to  distil  the 
contents  of  a  cask  and  some  bottles  from  the  sea,  by  the  aid 
of  the  ship's  coppers  and  a  leaden  pipe  from  the  quarter- 
gallery  cistern,  the  whole  of  which  they  placed  on  the  raft, 
with  a  basket  containing  some  beer  and  a  cask  of  pork. 
Whilst  they  were  upon  the  wreck,  they  were  upon  a  daily 
allowance  of  two  wine-glasses  of  water  and  a  little  damaged 
bread. 

As  soon  as  the  raft  was  completed,  they  got  upon  it ;  but 
finding  that  it  was  not  buoyant  enough  to  hold  them,  they 
threw  over  the  water,  pork,  and  beer.  Still  it  did  not  sup- 
port their  weight ;  so  the  greater  number  returned  on  board, 
leaving  Mr.  Moore,  the  master,  Mr.  Grant,  the  surgeon, 
Captain  and  Mrs.  D'Oyley  and  their  two  children,  their  nurse, 
a  passenger,  and  two  seamen,  who  determined  to  remain  on 
it  all  night.     In  the  morning,  however;  it  was  found  that  the 


THE  WRECK- ABANDONED. DISCOVERY  BY  THE  NATIVES.      19 

rope  by  which  the  raft  had  been  made  fast  to  the  stern  of 
the  vessel,  had  been  cut,  and  nothing  was  seen  of  their 
companions.  It  is  probable  that  the  uncomfortable  situation 
in  which  they  found  themselves,  up  to  their  waists  in  water, 
and  the  sea  constantly  breaking  over  them,  induced  the 
master  to  cut  the  rope,  and  trust  to  Providence  to  guide 
himself  and  the  passengers  to  some  place  of  safety. 

Those  that  remained  then  made  a  raft  of  the  vessel's  top- 
masts, lashed  together  with  coir  rope,  and  made  a  sail  out 
of  some  cloth  which  formed  a  part  of  her  cargo.  It  took 
seven  days  before  it  was  completed,  when  they  launched  off 
and  bade  adieu  to  the  ill-fated  vessel,  which  was  probably 
soon  broken  up,  for  at  high  water  the  sea  breached  over  her. 

The  vessel  that  was  seen  with  her  masts  standing  was  too 
far  to  windward  for  them  to  reach,  for  even  the  boat  couli^ 
not  make  way  against  the  wind  and  current.  Upon  casting 
off,  they  set  their  sail  and  steered  before  the  wind ;  but  the 
raft  was  so  heavy  and  deep  that  very  little  progress  was 
made.  She  drifted  rather  than  sailed,  and  probably  did  not 
go  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  per  hour.  After  some  time, 
they  came  to  a  reef,  upon  which  they  remained  for  the 
night,  and  the  next  morning  proceeded  before  the  wind,  but 
saw  no  more  reefs.  After  two  days  and  nights  upon  the 
raft,  up  to  their  waists  in  water,  and  having  partaken  of  very 
little  food,  they  passed  an  island,  and  then  saw  several  more 
ahead.  Soon  afterwards  a  canoe  was  perceived  paddling 
towards  them,  containing  ten  or  twelve  Indians,  who,  as 
they  approached,  stood  up  and  extended  their  arms  to  show 
they  had  no  weapons,  and  were  inclined  to  be  friendly. 
On  reaching  the  raft,  the  Indians  got  upon  it  and  conducted 
themselves  very  peaceably,  and,  after  a  short  time,  proposed 
that  they  should  leave  the  raft  and  go  into  the  canoe,  which 
they  at  first  hesitated  to  do,  until  Thomas  Ching,  a  midship- 
man, said  he  would  go,  as  he  should  then  have  a  better 
chance  of  getting  to  England ;  upon  which  they  all  con- 
sented, and  embarked  in  the  canoe»  Before  they  left,  the 
Indians  searched  the  raft  very  narrowly  for  iron  implements, 
but  only  found  a  few  hoops,  which  they  collected  and  took 
with  them.  They  left  the  raft  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  were  landed  on  the 
Island  of  Baydan. 


20  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

Upon  disembarking,  the  natives  accompanied  them  round 
the  island  in  search  of  water  and  food,  but  they  were  so 
exhausted  by  fatigue  and  hunger  that  they  could  scarcely 
crawl.  Upon  their  return  to  the  place  where  they  landed, 
they  threw  themselves  on  the  ground  in  despair,  as  it  was 
evident  from  the  ferocious  bearing  and  conduct  of  the  sav- 
ages, who  stood  around  their  party,  grinning  and  laughing 
in  the  most  hideous  manner,  that  they  were  exulting  in  the 
anticipation  of  their  murderous  intentions.  In  this  dreadful 
state  of  suspense,  Mr.  Claer,  the  first  officer,  addressing  his 
companions,  recommended  them  to  be  resigned  to  their  fate, 
and  read  to  them,  in  a  most  impressive  manner,  several 
prayers  from  a  book  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
the  wreck ;  after  which,  commending  themselves  to  the 
protection  of  the  Almighty,  they  lay  down,  and,  worn  out 
by  severe  exhaustion,  were  soon  asleep.  But  it  was  to 
them  the  sleep  of  death  ;  for  no  sooner  had  they  composed 
themselves  than,  as  Ireland  describes,  he  was  roused  by  a 
loud  shout  and  noise,  and  upon  looking  up,  saw  the  Indians 
murdering  his  companions  by  dashing  their  brains  out  with 
clubs.  The  first  that  was  killed  was  poor  Ching,  and  after 
him  his  companion  Perry,  and  then  Mr.  Mayer,  the  second 
officer ;  after  which  the  confusion  became  so  great  that  Ire- 
land could  not  distinguish  what  passed.  The  last,  however, 
that  met  his  fate  was  Mr.  Claer,  who,  in  the  attempt  to  make 
his  escape  to  the  canoe,  was  overtaken  by  his  pursuers,  and 
immediately  despatched  by  a  blow  on  the  head. 

Ireland  and  another  boy,  named  Sexton,  were  now  left 
awaiting  their  fate.  The  former,  the  narrator  of  this  melan- 
choly tale,  thus  describes  his  deliverance:  — 

"An  Indian  came  to  me,  with  a  carving-knife,  to  cut  my 
throat ;  but,  as  he  was  about  to  do  it,  having  seized  hold  of 
me,  I  grasped  the  blade  of  the  knife  in  my  right  hand,  and 
held  it  fast,  struggling  for  my  life.  The  Indian  then  threw 
me  down,  and,  placing  his  knee  on  my  breast,  tried  to 
wrench  the  knife  out  of  my  hand  ;  but  I  still  retained  it, 
although  one  of  my  fingers  was  cut  through  to  the  bone. 
At  last,  I  succeeded  in  getting  uppermost,  when  I  let  him 
go,  and  ran  into  the  sea,  and  swam  out ;  but,  being  much 
exhausted,  and  as  the  only  chance  for  my  hfe  was  to  return 
to  the  shore,  I  landed  again,  fully  expecting  to  be  knocked 


THE    HEADS   OF   THE   SHIP's   COMPANY   ARE  ROASTED.        21 

on  the  head.  The  same  Indian  then  came  up,  with  an  in- 
furiated gesture,  and  shot  nie  in  the  right  breast  with  an 
arrow,  and  then,  in  a  most  unaccountable  manner,  suddenly 
became  quite  calm,  and  led  or  dragged  me  to  a  little  dis- 
tance, and  offered  me  some  fish  and  water,  which  I  was 
unable  to  partake  of. 


Little  George  D'Oyley,  and  the  Ship's  Dog-  Portland. 


"  Whilst  struggling  with  the  Indian,  I  observed  Sexton, 
who  was  held  by  another,  bite  a  piece  of  his  arm  out ;  but, 
after  that,  I  knew  nothing  of  him,  until  I  found  his  life  had 
been  spared  in  a  manner  similar  to  my  own. 

"  At  a  short  distance  off,  making  the  most  hideous  yells, 
the  other  savages  were  dancing  round  a  large  fire,  before 
which  were  placed,  in  a  row,  the  heads  of  their  victims, 
whilst  their  decapitated  bodies  were  washing  in  the  surf  on 


the  beach,  from  which  they  soon  disappeared, 


been, 


22  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

probably,  washed  away  by  the  tide.  Sexton  and  I  were 
then  placed  in  charge  of  two  natives,  who  covered  us  with 
the  sail  of  the  canoe,  (a  sort  of  mat,)  but  paid  no  attention 
to  my  wound,  which  had  been  bleeding  profusely." 

The  next  day,  the  Indians  collected  all  the  heads,  and, 
embarking,  removed  to  another  island,  where  the  women 
lived,  which  they  called  Pullan.  On  landing  there,  Ireland 
saw  two  of  Captain  D'Oyley's  children,  and  the  ship's  dog, 
called  Portland.  The  elder,  George  D'Oyley,  told  him  that 
the  first  raft  had  landed  on  the  island,  and  that  all  the  pas- 
sengers, excepting  himself  and  his  brother,  had  been  instant- 
ly murdered  ;  that  his  mother  was  killed  by  a  blow  with  a 
club  ;  and  that  his  little  brother  was  in  her  arms  at  the  time, 
but  was  saved  by  one  of  the  women,  who  afterwards  took 
care  of  him.  The  child  was  seen  by  Ireland,  when  they 
landed,  in  the  woman's  arms,  crying  very  much.  He  also 
saw  some  pieces  of  the  ship's  cabin  doors,  attached  as  orna- 
ments to  the  heads  of  their  canoes,  which  they  appeared  to 
prize  very  much,  and  other  relics,  among  which  were  the 
skulls  of  the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  first  raft,  those  of 
Mrs.  D'Oyley  and  Captain  Moore  being  plainly  distinguisha- 
ble, the  former  by  the  hair,  the  latter  by  the  features.  The 
heads  were  suspended  by  a  rope  to  a  pole  that  was  stuck  up 
near  the  huts  of  the  women,  round  which  they  danced  every 
evening  and  morning,  accompanying  their  infuriated  ges- 
tures with  the  most  horrid  yells. 

The  number  of  Indians  collected  amounted  to  about  six- 
ty ;  they  were  merely  residing  on  the  island  during  the  fish- 
ing season,  for  their  home,  as  it  afterwards  turned  out,  was 
at  a  considerable  distance  off.  Their  principal  subsistence 
was  turtle,  and  small  fish,  which  they  caught  with  hook  and 
line,  and  shell  fish,  which  abound  on  the 
reefs.  The  island  also  produces  a  small 
fruit,  "  like  a  plum,  with  a  stone  in  it." 
The  fish  is  broiled  over  the  ashes  of  the 
fire,  or  boiled  in  the  basin  of  a  large 
volute,  (Voluta  Ethiopica,)  which,  being 
a  scarce  shell,  is  of  great  value  to  them. 
The  Island  of  Pullan  is  covered  with 
low  trees  and  underwood,  and  the  soil 
is  sandy.  In  the  centre  of  it  is  a  spring, 
A  Wild  Plum.  which   supplied    the    whole  party  with 


DUPPAR    BUYS    IRELAND    AND    THE    INFANT.  2S 

sufficient  water  for  their  consumption  ;  and,  as  Ireland  says 
they  used  a  great  deal,  it  must,  at  least,  have  yielded  fifteen 
or  twenty  gallons  a  day,  for  the  hole  was  always  full.  Upon 
a  voyage,  they  carry  their  water  in  bamboo  joints  and  cocoa- 
nut  shells,  hke  the  Malays. 

After  remaining  here  Iwo  months,  the  Indians  separated. 
One  party,  taking  Ireland  and  the  infant  D'Oyley  with  them, 
embarked  in  a  canoe,  and,  after  half  a  day's  sail,  reached 
another  islet  to  the  northward,  where  they  remained  a  day 
and  a  night  on  the  sandy  beach ;  and,  the  next  morning, 
proceeded,  and  reached  another  island  similar  to  Pullan, 
low  and  bushy,  where  they  remained  a  fortnight.  They 
then  proceeded  to  the  northward,  calling,  on  their  way,  at 
different  islands,  and  remaining  as  long  as  they  supplied 
food,  until  they  reached  one  where  they  remained  a  month ; 
and  then  they  went  on  a  visit  to  Darnley's  Island,  which 
they  called  Aroob,  where,  for  the  first  time,  Ireland  says,  he 
received  kind  treatment. 

After  a  fortnight,  they  again  embarked,  and  returned,  by 
the  way  they  came,  to  an  island  called  Sirreb,  situated  near 
Aureed,  where  their  voyage  ended,  and  they  remained  until 
purchased  by  Duppar,  the  Murray  Islander,  who,  it  appears, 
upon  hearing  that  there  were  two  white  boys  in  captivity  at 
Aureed,  embarked  in  a  canoe  with  his 
wife,  Pamoy,  and  went  for  the  express 
purpose  of  obtaining  them,  taking,  for 
the  purpose  of  barter,  some  fruit.  The 
price  of  their  ransom  was  a  bunch  of  ba- 
nanas for  each.  They  returned  by  way 
of  Darnley's  Island,  where  they  stopped 
a  few  days,  and  then  reached  Murray's 
Island,  where  they  remained  ever  since, 
most  kindly  treated.  Duppar  gave  little 
D'Oyley  to  a  native  named  Oby,  to  take  a  Bunch  orBananas. 
care  of — a  charge  of  which  he  faithfully 
acquitted  himself;  and  both  Oby  and  his  adopted  child  soon 
became  very  fond  of  each  othei  ;  for,  as  the  child  was  a 
mere  infant,  he  soon  forgot  his  mother,  and  naturally  at- 
tached himself  to  his  nurse.  When  at  Aureed,  the  Indians 
had  named  Ireland  TVak;  and  little  D'Oyley  they  called 
Uass ;  names  which  they  retained  at  Murray's  Island,  and 
3 


26  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

by  which  they  are  doubtless  now  known  all  over  the  archi- 
pelago. 

Ireland  lived  in  the  same  hut  with  Duppar  and  his  family. 
His  employment  was  to  cultivate  a  plantation  of  yams,  and, 
during  the  season,  to  assist  in  taking  turtle  and  shell  fish. 
On  one  occasion,  he  accompanied  them  in  an  excursion 
towards  New  Guinea,  where  they  went  for  the  purpose  of 
barter  and  trade  ;  which  they  frequently  did  to  obtain  bows 
and  arrows,  canoes,  and  feathers,  for  which  they  gave  in 
return  shells,  and  which,  from  their  scarcity,  the  New 
Guinea  people  prize  very  much.  But,  as  Duppar  was  fear- 
ful the  New  Guinea  people  would  steal  or  murder  him,  he 
was  left  at  Darnley's  Island,  in  charge  of  Agge,  an  Indian, 
until  their  return.  Duppar  and  his  friends,  however,  were 
not  long  away ;  for,  having  stopped  at  Campbell's  Island  to 
pass  the  night,  one  of  the  islanders  attempted  to  take  by 
force  from  one  of  the  visitors  his  moco  rnoco,  (a  kind  of 
badge  worn  round  the  calves  of  the  legs,)  —  upon  which  a 
quarrel  ensued,  in  which  the  Murray  Islanders  used  their 
bows  and  arrows,  and  wounded  several,  one  being  shot 
through  the  body.  The  Jarmuth  people  then  retreated  to 
their  huts,  and  the  others  embarked. 

The  next  morning,  the  20th,  at  seven  o'clock,  five  canoes 
came  ofT  to  the  schooner  to  trade  ;  but,  as  they  had  not 
kept  their  promise  of  bringing  off  the  child,  no  communica- 
tion was  allowed  to  be  held  with  them.  As  Mr.  Lewis  had 
now  the  advantage  of  Ireland's  interpreting  his  wishes,  no 
mistake  or  misunderstanding  could  occur  in  his  communica- 
tion with  them.  It  was  evident  they  were  very  reluctant  to 
give  up  the  child;  and  yet  they  coveted  the  "toolic"  and 
*'tooree"  so  much,  that  he  had  great  hopes  of  effecting  his 
object  without  resorting  to  force.  After  waiting,  however, 
for  some  time,  without  any  appearance  of  their  sending  for 
the  child,  he  began  to  insist  upon  their  giving  him  up  ;  and, 
opening  the  ports,  ran  the  guns  out,  and  made  a  demon- 
stration of  using  force,  which  had  the  desired  effect ;  for, 
though  it  did  not  diminish  the  confidence  they  had  in  him, 
they  saw  he  was  determined  to  gain  his  point,  and  sent  a 
canoe  ashore  to  bring  the  child  off.  It  returned  in  a  short 
time  with  a  message  that  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
island,  but  should   be  given   up,  if  Mr.   Lewis  would  give 


OBY    BRINGS    THE    INFANT    ON    BOARD.  27 

"  tooree"  for  him,  which  was,  of  course,  immediately  assented 
to;  but  then  they  wanted  the  payment  to  be  made  in  ad- 
vance. As  it  was  evident,  from  the  confidence  they  placed 
in  Mr.  Lewis,  and  the  example  that  had  been  shown  by  the 
payment  that  had  been  made  to  Ireland,  and  the  rewards 
that  were  afterwards  given  to  Duppar,  that  the  Indians  had 
no  intention  of  completing  their  part  of  the  bargain,  but 
merely  wanted  to  obtain  the  "  toolic,"  he  refused  to  comply 
with  their  proposal,  and  repeated  his  orders  not  to  trade. 

Shortly  after  this,  upon  looking  towards  the  shore,  a 
group  of  about  one  hundred  Indians,  evidently  in  deep  con- 
sultation, were  seen  seated  on  a  hill,  and  among  them  a  little 
white  child,  perfectly  naked,  playing  with  others  of  the  same 
size.  After  two  or  three  hours,  the  group  began  to  move 
down  towards  the  shore ;  and,  at  four  o'clock,  the  child,  sur- 
rounded by  the  natives,  was  brought  to  the  beach  in  the 
arms  of  a  young  Indian,  who  seemed,  by  his  kissing  him,  to 
be  very  sorrowful  at  the  idea  of  giving  him  up.  He,  how- 
ever, embarked  in  a  canoe,  and  brought  him  alongside.  The 
child  was  frightened,  and  cried  very  much  at  leaving  his  sa- 
ble friend,  whose  neck  he  clung  round,  and  pointed  to  the 
shore.  Oby,  however,  brought  his  little  charge  on  board, 
and  descended  into  the  cabin,  where  Mr.  Lewis  satisfied  him 
with  presents,  and  dressed  him  with  clothes,  at  which  he 
evinced  no  small  delight.  The  bargain  having  now  been 
completed,  the  canoes  were  permitted  alongside,  and  the 
people  to  trade.  They  had  not  much,  however,  to  dispose 
of:  a  few  yams  and  cocoa-nuts,  a  small  quantity  of  tortoise- 
shell,  bows,  arrows,  fish-gigs,  and  shells  of  little  value,  were 
all  they  possessed. 

Towards  evening,  the  canoes  returned  to  the  shore,  but 
left  Oby  and  Duppar  on  board,  both  of  whom,  particularly 
the  former,  sobbed  very  much  at  the  idea  of  parting  with 
their  favorites. 

Before  leaving  the  vessel's  side,  the  Indians  pressed  Mr. 
Lewis  to  visit  them  on  shore  the  next  day,  which  he  prom- 
ised to  do.  According  to  his  promise,  he  landed  the  follow- 
ing morning,  and  was  immediately  surrounded  by  upwards 
of  one  hundred  Indians,  who  expressed  great  delight  at  the 
meeting,  by  hugging  and  caressing  him,  and  shaking  hands ; 
but  in  order  to  prevent  surprise,  two  boats  were  ordered  to 


28  THE     LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

be  off  on  their  oars,  and  be  prepared  with  their  arms,  should 
any  hostility  be  shown.  This  movement,  however,  appeared 
to  frighten  the  women  and  children  so  much  that  they  ran 
away  to  the  huts  ;  and  it  was  some  time  before  they  mustered 
sufficient  courage  to  approach.  At  last  they  were  per- 
suaded by  the  men,  who  were  evidently  amused  by  their 
timidity  ;  an  old  fat  lady  gradually  drew  near  and  took  Mr. 
Lewis's  hand  and  held  it  in  one  of  hers,  scratching  the  palm 
with  the  fingers  of  the  other.  Confidence  being  thus  re- 
stored, the  women  and  children  were  presented  with  hand- 
kerchiefs and  toys,  which  seemed  to  delight  them  very  much. 
After  remaining  two  hours  with  these  friendly  Indians,  Mr. 
Lewis  embarked  with  a  view  of  examining  the  neighboring 
islands.  On  Dowar,  which  is  high  and  rocky,  many  cocoa- 
nut  trees,  and  several  huts,  were  noticed ;  but  as  it  was  not 
the  fruit  season,  they  were  not  inhabited.  Near  the  huts 
were  observed  many  skulls  strung  up  among  the  bushes, 
which  Ireland  described  to  be  the  memorials  of  departed 
friends.  Upon  Dowar,  or  Golgotha,  as  Mr.  Lewis  named 
it,  a  golden  plover  was  shot,  and  a  few  seeds  and  specimens 
of  plants  collected. 

Wyer  was  found  to  be  very  barren,  and  from  its  rugged 
and  precipitous  chasms  bore  a  resemblance  to  a  ruined  for- 
tress. In  the  sheltered  parts,  however,  a  few  huts  were  seen, 
and  near  them  some  cocoa-nut  trees.  Beche  le  mer  abounded 
on  the  beaches  ;  some  of  them  were  procured  weighing  three 
pounds.  The  next  morning,  June  22d,  five  canoes  came  off 
to  trade,  but  they  brought  fittle  on  board  of  any  worth.  Un- 
derstanding that  there  was  a  water-hole  on  the  west-south- 
west end  of  the  island,  eight  casks  were  sent  on  shore  to  be 
filled.  The  well  was  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
beach,  but  it  only  contained  enough  to  fill  one  cask,  and 
that  was  so  muddy  as  to  be  unfit  for  use.  It  appears  that 
the  island  is  very  deficient  in  water,  and  what  they  use  is 
collected  in  the  wet  season  in  holes,  and  the  valves  of  an 
enormous  bivalved  shell,  the  Chama  gigas,  the  fish  of  which 
alone  has  been  frequently  found  to  weigh  upwards  of  three 
hundred  weight ;  so  that  it  would  take  the  united  strength 
of  three  or  four  men  to  move  the  shell  when  it  contains  its 
inhabitant.  The  valves  may  probably  contain  three  or  four 
gallons  of  water.      For  drink  they  use  principally  the  milk 


INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    NATIVES.  29 

of  the  young  cocoa-nut.  Whilst  filling  the  cask  with  water, 
one  of  the  Indians  took  the  opportunity  of  stealing  a  cask, 
and  concealing  it  in  the  bushes  at  some  distance  ;  it  was, 
however,  discovered,  upon  which  the  thief  and  his  compan- 
ions scampered  off,  for  fear  of  punishment^  for  the  party  was 
well  armed.  The  Isabella's  people  afterwards  had  several 
opportunities  of  witnessing  their  thievish  propensities;  par- 
ticularly for  any  edge  tools.  On  Wyer  was  observed,  sus- 
pended between  two  bamboo  trees,  but  supported  by  a  rock 
in  an  inclined  position,  the  skeleton  of  a  man,  which  had 
evidently  been  placed  there  some  time,  as  all  the  flesh  was 
dried  up  or  decomposed.  The  figure  had  been  painted  over 
with  a  dark-red  ochreous  pigment,  with  which  they  daub 
their  bodies.  In  the  forehead  were  pieces  of  mother-of- 
pearl,  to  represent  eyes.  The  natives  explained  that  he  had 
died  from  swollen  bowels,  which  was  caused  by  some  incan- 
tation of  the  Darnley  Islanders,  and  that  after  he  was  dead, 
a'  substance,  like  a  turtle,  was  taken  out  of  him,  which  they 
attributed  to  the  curse. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Lewis  had  another  conversation  respect- 
ing the  massacre,  with  a  large  party,  who  were  assembled 
around  him  and  Ireland:  the  latter  interpreted,  as  usual, 
what  they  had  to  say.  They  gave  him  to  understand  that 
the  heads  of  the  "  white  people,"  who  had  been  murdered 
at  Boydan,  were  in  a  state  of  preservation  at  the  huts  on 
Aureed ;  and  that  the  Indians  every  night  and  morning 
danced  around  them,  and  expressed  their  delight  by  yelling 
and  hootinfr,  and  displaying  the  most  horrid  gestures ;  but 
repeated  the  oft-told  tale,  that  there  were  no  survivors,  and 
confirmed  the  story  he  had  previously  heard  from  Ireland, 
that  the  Murray  Islanders  had  seen  the  heads  of  Sexton 
and  George  D'Oyley  at  one  of  the  islands,  and  that  the  hair 
of  one  of  them  had  been  so  much  admired,  that  the  Indians 
had  cut  it  off  and  made  it  into  an  ornament.  They  told  him 
that  the  murderers  had  eaten  the  eyes  and  cheeks  of  their 
victims,  to  excite  them  to  the  deed  ;  but  this  was  generally 
done,  whenever  any  fell  in  battle,  or  are  murdered.  The 
children  are  also  made  to  partake  of  this  disgusting  food,  in 
order  to  make  them  ferocious. 

Mr.  Lewis  now  determined  to  proceed  to  Aureed,  to 
recover  the  heads  of  his  unfortunate  countrymen.  In  de- 
3* 


30  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

scribing  the  situation  of  Aureed,  they  pointed  to  the  south- 
west by  south,  and  gave  him  to  understand  that  it  could  not 
be  mistaken,  since  it  was  the  only  island  that  had  cocoa-nuts 
on  it ;  from  which  he  anticipated  that  the  search  would  be 
comparatively  easy. 

On  the  20th,  Mr.  Lewis  left  Darnley  Island,  when  he 
repeated  his  hope,  that  they  would  never  injure  or  ill-treat 
any  white  people  who  might  be  cast  away  upon  the  island, 
and  vvas  again  and  again  promised  they  would  attend  to  his 
wishes.  Upon  going  away,  the  Indians  were  all  seated  in  a 
circle,  when  one  took  Mr.  Lewis  by  the  arm  and  led  him 
round  the  party,  to  shake,  or  rather  scrape,  each  other  by 
the  hand,  and  to  receive  an  affectionate  embrace. 

The  next  day,  at  evening,  they  anchored  under  the  lee 
of  Marsden  Island  ;  these  Indians  are  of  the  same  charac- 
ter as  those  of  Murray  and  Darnley  Islands,  and  speak  the 
same  language.  Ireland  understood  every  word  they  said, 
and  was  therefore  enabled  to  communicate  with  them  without 
difficulty.  He  first  demanded  the  white ;  and  on  being 
asked  what  had  been  done  with  the  "  white  skulls,"  they 
denied  having  them  in  their  possession ;  they  had  only  been 
brought  by  the  Indians  of  Aureed  to  show  to  them,  but  had 
been  taken  away  again.  Mr.  Lewis,  however,  not  feehng 
satisfied  with  their  answers,  ordered  eighteen  men  out  of 
the  boats,  armed  with  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  and  cut- 
lasses, and  then,  having  them  in  his  power,  peremptorily 
demanded  the  skulls ;  but  as  they  were  much  frightened 
and  produced  none,  it  was  thought  probable  their  story  was 
correct.  They  also  stated  that  the  natives  of  Aureed  had 
left  the  island,  having  heard  that  the  schooner  was  on  the 
way  to  punish  them  for  the  murder  they  had  committed  ; 
that  all  the  white  men  had  been  murdered,  and  that  some 
of  the  skulls  had  been  sent  to  New  Guinea.  During  this 
parley  the  Indians  were  shouting  loudly  for  assistance  from 
their  friends,  but  the  boat's  crews  were  too  strong  for  them. 
After  some  time,  finding  that  no  satisfactory  intelligence 
was  obtained,  room  was  made  for  them  to  pass ;  upon  which 
they  scampered  off  with  great  rapidity.  Two  of  the  sea- 
men very  improperly  fired  their  muskets  over  their  heads ; 
which,  however,  did  not  injure  them,  and  served  only  to 
increase  the  rapidity  of  their  flight.     These  islanders  told 


The  terrible  Trophy  to  which  the  Skulls  were  affixed.  — Pa<re  33. 


THE  LONG-SEARCHED-FOR  HEADS  FOUND.        33 

them  that  their  principal  food  was  cocoa-nuts  and  yams,  and 
that  they  were  frequently  robbed  of  them  by  the  Indians  of 
other  islands. 

On  Mr.  Lewis's  wading  across  to  the  southernmost  island, 
the  Indians,  who  were  there,  escaped  in  their  canoes,  and 
steered  towards  the  west-south-west.  A  strict  search  was 
made  all  over  the  island,  but  no  remains  of  Europeans  were 
found.     The  party  then  returned  on  board. 

The  next  day  was  occupied  in  searching  amongst  the 
islands.  The  anchor  was  dropped  in  the  afternoon  near  an 
island  about  half  a  mile  off;  when  a  boat  visited  the  shore, 
but  found  no  trace  of  what  they  were  in  search  of.  A  few 
deserted  sheds,  used  probably  when  fishing,  were  the  only 
marks  of  its  ever  being  visited  by  the  Indians.  Several, 
birds,  viz.,  pigeons,  quails,  and  rails,  flushed ;  and  an  im- 
mense number  of  rats  were  seen.  The  trees  were  princi- 
pally swamp  oak  and  fig ;  a  species  of  vine,  also,  and  creep- 
ing plants,  were  seen.  Mr.  Lewis  carved  his  name  on  one 
of  the  trees. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  schooner  got  under  way, 
and  worked  to  windward  towards  an  island,  which,  having 
cocoa-nuts  on  it,  and  being  very  low,  answered  to  the  de- 
scription given  of  Aureed  by  the  Murray  Islanders.  Several 
dogs  were  noticed  howling  on  the  beach,  but  no  Indians 
showed  themselves.  Mr.  Lewis  then  caused  the  boats  to 
be  manned  and  armed,  and  to  proceed  to  the  shore,  and, 
having  landed,  walked  towards  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  near  the 
centre,  where  he  fully  expected  to  find  the  inhabitants,  or 
their  dwellings ;  but  after  a  diligent  search  neither  were 
found.  However,  perceiving  another  group  of  trees  at  a 
distance,  he  proceeded  thither,  and  discovered  a  low,  thatched 
shed,  containing  the  long-searched-for  heads.  They  were 
attached  by  a  piece  of  European  rope  to  a  grotesque  repre- 
sentation of  a  man's  face,  formed  by  turtle  shell,  and  orna- 
mented with  cowries  and  other  shells.  Several  of  the 
skulls  were  evidently  of  Indian,  but  many  were  of  European 
origin,  and  bore  marks  of  violence;  some  few  having  the 
hair  driven  into  the  indentations  made  by  blows  with  the 
tomahawk. 

In  order  not  to  mutilate  this  figure,  or  destroy  it,  Mr. 
Lewis  caused  the  shed  to  be  unroofed,  and  then  carefully 


34  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES     EATOT^. 

removed  it  to  the  boat.  Whilst  one  party  was  doing  this, 
another  proceeded  to  make  a  dihgent  search  through  the 
island  ;  at  a  short  distance,  they  came  to  a  circular  spot, 
planted  with  tobacco,  which  they  destroyed.  Several  trees 
bore  the  recent  marks  of  a  tomahawk.  Searching  farther, 
they  discovered  what,  under  other  circumstances,  might 
have  been  considered  a  very  romantic  spot,  .shaded  with 
large  trees,  which  the  Indians  probably  used  to  celebrate 
their  infernal  orgies;  for  an  avenue  led  to  it  from  the  skull 
house,  both  sides  of  which  were  ornamented  with  shells 
stained  with  ochre :  in  the  centre  of  this  spot  was  a  pile  of 
drinking  cups,  made  of  the  cocoa-nut  shell  cut  in  half.  As 
there  were  no  marks  of  a  recent  feast,  it  is  probable  that 
the  island  is  only  used  as  a  depository  of  skulls. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  now  satisfied  that  he  had  found  the  iden- 
tical Aureed  ;  and  therefore,  by  way  of  showing  his  anger 
at  the  horrid  deed  they  had  committed,  destroyed  every  thing 
that  could  be  useful  to  the  Indians.  The  skull  house  was 
burned  down,  and  the  fire  raged  over  the  whole  island,  and 
burned  down  some  huts  at  the  north-east  end,  which  had 
been  examined  previously,  but  only  a  club,  a  sort  of  bird 
cage,  and  a  few  pieces  of  deck  plank,  were  found  in  them. 
The  following  day  was  spent  in  destroying  all  the  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  cutting  down  the  other  trees,  and  doing  all  the 
mischief  they  could.  It  will  take  some  time  for  the  cocoa- 
nuts  to  grow  up  again,  but  the  other  plants  will  speedily  re- 
appear. After  another  search,  a  sheet  of  copper  and  an 
eye-bolt,  and  near  the  ruins  of  the  shed  two  more  Eu- 
ropean skulls,  were  found :  the  last  were  a  little  scorched 
with  the  fire,  but  they  were  taken  on  board  and  deposited 
with  the  others  in  a  case. 

Leaving  Aureed,  the  schooner  proceeded  and  stood  to 
the  east-north-east,  towards  another  island  ;  but  as  there  were 
no  Indians  on  it,  Mr.  Lewis  did  not  land.  It  was  evident 
that  the  object  of  the  schooner's  visit  was  known  throughout 
the  group,  since  every  island  was  deserted  by  the  inhabit- 
ants as  she  approached,  for  fear  of  being  punished  ;  for  it 
is  probable  that  the  Indians  of  all  the  group  are  more  or 
less  implicated  in  the  brutal  transaction.  They  now  landed 
on  Half- Way  Island,  and  examined  it ;  but  nothing  worth 
notice  was  found,  excepting  the   marks  of  former  visitors, 


The  Ronianlic  spot,  where  Uie  Cannibals  held  their  Infernal  Orgies  ;  —  and  a  View 
of  the  Hut,  where  the  Skulls  were  deposited.  —  Pa^e  M. 


A  LETTER  ENCLOSED  IN  A  BOTTLE. 


3T 


The  Tree  under  wliich  Mr.  Lewis  buried  the  Bottle. 


and  some  native  fishing  huts,  at  the  north-east  end.  Some 
culinary  seed  were  sowed  in  many  parts  of  the  island  ;  and 
a  letter,  corked  up  in  a  bottle,  was  buried  in  the  ground, 
under  a  remarkable  tree,  through  the  branches  of  which 
4 


38  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 

grew  a  lofty  palm,  on  which  the  words  ''Dig  under"  were 
carved.  The  letter  contained  an  account  of  what  had  been 
done. 

Here  an  immense  specimen  of  the  chama  gigas  was  found : 
to  take  it  on  board  it  was  slung  to  an  oar,  but  six  of  the  boat's 
crew  could  not  lift  it ;  so  they  were  obliged  to  roll  it  to  the 
boat.  The  next  day,  29th,  they  proceeded  and  anchored 
on  the  north  side  of  Mount  Adolphus's  Island,  at  a  mile  off 
shore  ;  and  the  next  day  arrived  at  Double  Island,  on  which 
some  Indians  were  observed,  waving,  and,  as  usual,  crying 
out,  "  Poud,  poud."  As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  anchored, 
Mr.  Lewis  communicated  with  them,  but  could  obtain  no 
account  of  white  people.  He  thought  they  spoke  the  same 
language  as  the  Murray  Islanders,  but  Ireland  could  un- 
derstand but  iew  words.  On  the  beach,  some  planks  and 
a  vessel's  niizzenmast  were  found ;  but  the  ship  to  which 
they  belonged  must  have  been  wrecked  many  years  since. 
The  plank  was  teak;  the  mast  was  cut  up  for  firewood,  for 
it  was  useless  for  any  other  purpose,  being  rent  in  every  part, 
and  much  decayed.  The  next  day,  31st,  the  Honorable 
Company's  cruiser,  the  Tigris,  arrived  from  Bombay,  in 
search  of  the  survivors  of  the  Charles  Eaton. 

The  Tigris  had  stopped  at  Half- Way  Island,  and  found 
the  letter  in  the  bottle,  which  informed  them  of  all  that  had 
transpired.  The  surgeon  of  the  Tigris  visited  the  Isabella 
with  Captain  Igglesdon,  and  examined  the  skulls  ;  seventeen 
of  which  he  was  satisfied  were  the  heads  of  Europeans.  It 
was  now  arranged  that  both  vessels  should  proceed  to  Raffles 
Bay  for  water,  calling,  in  their  way,  at  Wednesday  Island. 
At  the  anchorage,  oft'  Double  Island,  very  strong  tides  were 
experienced. 

The  following  morning,  Aug.  2d,  the  Tigris  and  Isabella 
anchored  on  the  north  side  of  Wednesday  Island,  near  a 
reef.  Whilst  Mr.  Lewis  was  sounding  it,  a  group  of  about 
twenty  Indians  appeared  on  the  beach,  hallooing  and  waving 
boughs,  and  inviting  him  to  land,  which  he  did,  and  found 
them  principally  to  be  females.  One  of  them,  an  elderly 
woman,  told  him  that  she  had  then  with  her  ten  daughters, 
besides  more  children  in  the  bush.  He  made  the  old  lady 
a  present  of  handkerchiefs,  and  also  one  to  each  of  the  rest, 
and  then   returned  on   board.     Captain  Igglesdon's  people 


THE    ISABELLA    REACHES    SYDNEY,  S9 

also  had  a  friendly  interview  with  them,  and  made  them 
some  presents,  which  gained  their  good-wilJ. 

In  the  afternoon.  Captain  Igglesdon  accompanied  Mr. 
Lewis,  with  three  armed  boats,  to  the  head  of  the  bay, 
where  the  Indians  lived,  and  found  six  canoes  on  the  beach, 
and  a  large  number  of  Indians  standing  around  the  huts, 
whose  appearance  was  not  of  the  most  friendly  complexion. 
However,  after  a  short  interview,  they  separated  without  n 
quarrel.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  they  could  obtain 
an  answer  to  their  question  respecting  the  existence  of  any 
white  men  amongst  them  ;  but  after  a  little  time,  they  told  the 
interpreter  that  they  knew  of  none.  Mr.  Lewis  gave  them 
a  kw  presents,  for  which,  in  return,  tliey  presented  them 
some  mother-of-pearl.  At  a  short  distance  from  the  beacli 
Mr.  Lewis  found  a  heap  of  sea-elephant  bones,  collected  in 
the  form  of  a  grave. 

From  this  place  the  vessels  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Carpenta- 
ria ;  and  on  the  5th  passed  Cape  Wessel,  off  which  much 
discolored  water  was  observed,  which  they  passed  round  ; 
but  at  seven  P.  M.,  standing  towards  Cape  Croker,  Mr, 
Lewis  was  suddenly  alarmed  by  observing  minute-guns  tired 
from  the  Tigris,  which  was  three  miles  ahead.  Of  course 
the  Isabella  was  instantly  anchored  ;  and  on  going  on  board 
of  the  Tigris  it  was  found  she  had  grounded  on  a  patch  of 
coral,  but  she  was  soon  got  off  with  the  loss  of  her  false 
keel  and  rudder.  The  next  day,  7th  August,  being  near 
Raffles  Bay,  both  vessels  got  under  way  and  proceeded 
thither,  where  a  new  rudder  was  made  by  the  assistance  of 
the  Isabella's  carpenter.  After  separating,  the  Isabella  en- 
tered Bass  Strait  on  the  5th  October,  and  arrived  at  Sydney 
on  the  12th,  having  been  absent  nearly  five  months. 

It  now  only  remains  to  say  that  the  skulls  of  the  unfortu- 
nate crew  and  passengers  of  the  Charles  Eaton  were  interred 
in  a  grave  in  the  burial-ground  at  Sydney,  which  may  afford 
some  consolation  to  their  friends.  The  fate  of  George 
D'Oyley  and  Sexton  is  still  in  some  remote  degree  uncer- 
tain. Every  pains  and  trouble  seem  to  have  been  taken  to 
ascertain  the  certainty  of  their  fate ;  and  Mr.  Lewis  had  no 
doubt  of  the  fact.  Had  either  been  alive,  the  desire  of  pos- 
sessing the  valuable  iron  implements,  which  were  offered  in 
exchange  for  them,  would  have  insured  their  being  brought 


40 


THE    LOSS    OF    THE    CHARLES    EATON. 


forward  by  the  Indians ;  and  their  not  having  done  so  is  a 
more  than  presumptive  proof  of  their  not  being  in  existence. 
The  same  story,  of  their  having  been  murdered,  was  told 
throughout  the  islands  without  prevarication,  together  with 
the  names  of  the  murderers,  as  well  as  the  circumstance  of 
the  hair  of  young  D'Oyley  having  been  preserved  as  an 
ornamental  trophy. 


A  Trophj'.  supposed  to  have  been  made  from  llie  Hair  of  George  D'Ojley. 


A     NARRATIVE 

OF    THE 

WRECK    OF    THE   BRIG   REGULATOR, 

OFF  PLYMOUTH,  IN   MASSACHUSETTS   BAY, 
1837, 


The  Brig  Regulator  entering  Massachusetts  Bay, 

ROM  the  numerous  records  of  shipwreck 
and  suffering  which  have  happened  on 
the  inclement  coast  of  New  England, 
we  insert  the  following  graphic  and  af- 
fecting narrative,  written  by  Captain 
William  D.  Phelps,  and  obligingly  given 

to  us  for  publication  :  — 

"The  Regulator,  from  Alexandria,  Egypt,  via  Smyrna  and 


42  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    BRIG .  REGULATOR. 

Malta,  arrived  on  the  American  coast  tlie  1st  of  February, 
1837,  bound  to  Boston.  On  that  day,  we  got  soundings  in 
the  South  Channel ;  wind  south,  with  a  warm,  drenching 
rain.  The  passage  across  the  Atlantic  had  been  pleasant 
for  the  season ;  and  we  were  now  within  a  day's  sail  of 
our  port,  with  a  fair  wind,  and  good  prospects  of  a  pleasant 
termination  to  a  voyage  which  had  heretofore  been  remark- 
ably pleasant. 

"  Every  stitch  of  canvass  was  spread  to  the  breeze,  and  a 
heavy  press  carried  on  the  vessel,  in  order  to  get  to  the 
northward  of  all  the  shoals,  and  into  Boston  Bay,  before  a 
change  of  wind.  About  3,  P.  M.,  judging  the  vessel  clear 
of  the  shoal  ground,  she  was  hauled  up  north-west  for  the 
back  of  Cape  Cod,  the  lee  studding-sails  taken  in,  and  booms 
rigged  in.  At  about  4,  P.  M.,  those  well-known  indications 
of  a  sudden  change  of  wind  to  the  north-west  warned  us 
that  our  fair  wind,  and  prospects  of  a  speedy  termination  to 
the  voyage,  were  soon  to  be  changed  for  a  contrary  gale,  and 
the  biting  breath  of  winter.  The  light  sails  were  all  taken 
in,  the  topsails  clewed  down  to  be  reefed,  and  all  possible  de- 
spatch used  to  get  the  vessel  snug ;  but,  owing  to  the  heavy 
rains,  which  had  continued  for  the  twenty-four  hours  previ- 
ous, the  sails  and  rigging  were  so  saturated  with  water  as  to 
retard  the  work  very  much.  The  wind  now  hauled  sudden- 
ly to  the  north-west,  blowing  furiously,  and  the  cold  intense. 
In  ten  minutes,  every  sail  was  frozen  stiff,  while  the  rigging 
and  spars  were  covered  with  ice  from  the  mast-heads  to  the 
deck.  One  reef  was  secured  in  the  topsails,  and,  after  in- 
effectual attempts  at  a  second,  the  men  were  ordered  from 
the  yards,  half  of  them  being  badly  frosted.  The  gale  con- 
tinued to  increase,  and  the  vessel,  under  a  heavy  press  of 
canvass,  driving  to  the  north-eastward,  shipping  much  w^ater, 
and  the  ice  fast  accumulating  on  the  decks  and  about  the 
bowsprit.  At  midnight,  w^ore  ship,  and  stood  in  shore,  and 
at  daylight,  made  Chatham  lights  ahead.  At  7,  A.  M.,  wore 
ship  again,  about  two  miles  north-north-east  of  the  lights,  and 
headed  off  shore.  The  cold  now  became  more  severe  ;  ther- 
mometer at  eight  degrees  below  zero  throughout  the  day  ; 
the  ice  constantly  increasing  on  the  vessel ;  during  the  day, 
the  rudder  had  frozen  up ;  the  rigging,  from  its  increased 
size,  wholly  useless  :  and  the  vessel  had  settled  a  foot  by  the 


A     SIGNAL     OF     DISTRESS.- — -GURNET     HEAD.  43 

head,  owing  to  the  weight  of  ice  about  the  head-stays  and 
rigging  of  the  bowsprit.  All  hands  employed  throughout 
the  day  in  endeavoring  to  free  the  vessel  of  ice. 

"February  3d. —  During  the  forenoon  of  this  day,  the 
wind  moderated,  and  hauled  w'est ;  all  hands  at  w^ork  beat- 
ing off  ice,  there  being  two  feet  of  ice  on  deck,  and  the  ves- 
sel unmanageable.  At  dark,  succeeded  in  freeing  the  rudder, 
and  clearing  the  braces,  and  wore  ship  to  the  south.  In  the 
course  of  the  night,  the  wind  changed  to  the  eastward  ;  at 
midnight,  got  the  topsails  and  courses  set,  judging  ourselves 
in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Ann,  and  steering  accordingly. 

"February  4th,  10,  A.  M.,  the  wind  hauled  to  north-east, 
with  snow,  wind  increasing,  and  extreme  cold  weather.  At 
neon,  mad«  the  highlands  of  Plymouth ;  the  rudder  was 
again  choked  up  with  ice,  and  all  our  attempts  to  keep  it 
clear  were  unsuccessful.  We  could  now  keep  our  course  for 
Boston  light,  steering  the  brig  by  the  braces.  At  this  time, 
the  weather  was  clear :  and,  if  the  wind  had  continued  as  it 
then  was  a  few  hours  longer,  we  hoped  to  have  been  safe  in 
Nantasket  Roads  ;  but,  alas  !  fate  decreed  otherwise.  At 
2,  P.  M.,  the  wind  hauled  to  north,  and  blew  hard  ;  four 
of  the  crew  badly  frosted  ;  the  vessel  covered  with  ice,  and 
deprived  of  the  use  of  her  rudder,  working  ship  was  out  of 
the  quesfion.  We  therefore  hoisted  a  signal  of  distress,  and 
bore  away  for  Plymouth  harbor.  Seeing  a  brig  at  anchor  in 
safety  inside,  we  had  strong  hopes  of  assistance  to  enable  us 
to  reach  the  anchorage.  It  was  now  near  low  water,  and 
the  sea  was  breaking  violently  across  the  entrance,  threaten- 
ing destruction  to  the  vessel  that  approached  it.  We  had 
no  alternative,  as  the  vessel  could  not  be  kept  off  shore 
more  than  an  hour  longer,  and  we  accordingly  pushed  for 
the  entrance.  Abreast  of  Gurnet  Head,  the  wind  headed  us 
oft',  and  the  anchors  were  both  let  go  in  three  fathoms  water, 
the  vessel  striking  heavy  between  the  swells ;  the  land,  on 
one  side,  was  distant  about  half  a  mile,  between  the  vessel 
and  which  a  furious  sea  was  breaking,  which  forbade  all  hope 
of  relief  from  that  quarter.  About  the  same  distance  from 
us  lay  a  brig,  in  perfect  safety ;  but,  as  the  sea  was  making 
a  fair  breach  over  us,  it  was  impossible  for  her  boats  to 
approach.  Night  w^as  now  fast  closing  upon  us  ;  the  break- 
ers were  sweeping  our  decks,  the  vessel  striking  on  the  hard 


44        THE  WRECK  OF  THE  BRIG  REGULATOR. 

sands,  every  few  minutes,  with  a  force  sufficient  to  demolish, 
at  each  concussion,  a  vessel  of  ordinary  construction  ;  the 
crew  worn  down  by  fatigue  and  unremitting  exertions  ;  with 
a  long  and  dreary  night  of  severe  suficring  and  anxiety  be- 
fore us,  with  no  prospect  of  relief  till  the  morrow,  and 
dreadful  doubts  whether  the  vessel  could  sustain  the  severe 
shocks  for  an  hour,  —  rendered  our  situation  one  of  the  most 
painful  and  distressing  that  can  be  conceived. 

"As  yet,  the  hull  was  unbroken  and  tight ;  the  sails  were 
secured  as  well  as  circumstances  would  admit ;  the  yawl  got 
out,  and  veered  astern  ;  tackles  got  up,  and  hooked  on  the 
long-boat ;  oars  and  buckets  lashed  in,  and  a  hawser  made 
fast  to  her,  and  every  thing  ready  to  get  her  out,  if  the  brig 
should  bilge  during  the  night. 

''About  half  past  8,  P.  M.,  the  flood  tide  made,  and  the 
vessel  lay  easy  and  afloat ;  the  wind  also  moderated  ;  and 
at  midnight,  we  flattered  ourselves  that,  at  daylight,  assist- 
ance could  be  rendered  us  from  the  shore  and  the  other 
brig.  As  we  were  unable  to  do  any  thing  more  for  the 
preservation  of  the  vessel,  the  crew  were  suflered  to  relax 
awhile  from  their  severe  toils.  The  frozen  were  taken  into 
the  cabin,  where  a  fire  had  been  kept  in  the  stove,  and  their 
suflerings  alleviated  as  far  as  possible.  A  kettle  of  hot 
cthocolate  was  prepared  over  the  stove,  which  refreshed  and 
cheered  us  wonderfully  ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  brave 
fellows  laughed  at  past  toils,  and  fondly  dwelt  on  the  com- 
forts that  were  awaiting  to  repay  them  for  past  sufferings, 
and  which  their  warm  imaginations  painted  to  them  as  almost 
within  their  reach.  But  their  rejoicing  was  of  short  dura- 
tion. About  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  wind  again  in- 
creased to  a  gale  from  the  north  ;  and,  the  tide  at  that  time 
being  the  last  of  ebb,  we  were  again  in  shoal  water,  and, 
a  heavy  sea  tumbling  in,  the  vessel  began  to  strike  again  vi- 
olently, every  shock  taking  us  oft'  our  feet,  and  making  the 
masts  to  swing  about  like  reeds  in  the  blast.  After  thump- 
inof  in  this  manner  for  half  an  hour,  we  found  she  had 
bilged.  The  sea  was,  at  this  time,  breaking  over  fore  and 
aft;  and,  the  long-boat  being  so  heavy  that,  with  our  w^eak 
crew,  we  were  unable  to  get  her  out,  the  maintopmast  back- 
stays and  the  weather  rigging  of  the  foremast  being  cut,  the 
foremast  was  cut  awav,  taking  with   it  every  spar  but  the 


A    BOAT    TRIES    TO    REACH    THE    WRECK,  45 

mainmast,  which  had  broken  off  just  above  the  eyes  of  the 
main  rigging.  Eased  of  this  weight,  the  hull  lay  easier  for 
a  while  ;  bat  the  sea  increasing,  the  work  of  destruction 
continued.  The  cables  were  now  slipped,  in  the  hope  of 
the  wreck  driving  higher  up  on  the  shoal,  where  she  would 
lay  less  exposed  to  the  furious  sea  which  every  moment  was 
tearing  her  asunder.  The  cabin  and  forecastle  were  full  oi 
water;  and  at  daylight  we  found  that  the  keel  and  many  of 
the  planks  had  left  the  vessel  :  she  was  now  lying  head  to 
the  breakers,  and  we  a,gain  attempted  to  get  out  the  long- 
boat by  cutting  au'ay  the  bulwarks  and  stanchions,  in  Order 
to  launch  her  over.  But,  before  we  could  accomplish  this,  the 
wreck  swung  round  broadside  to,  with  the  gangway  to  wind- 
ward, and  the  wreck  of  the  masts  and  yards  under  the  lee, 
hanging  by  the  lee  rigging,  which  we  could  not  cut  away  ; 
therefore  we  were  obliged  to  abandon  our  attempts  in  that 
direction.  The  flood  tide  was  setting  athwart  the  breakers, 
carrying  the  fragments  of  the  wreck  and  drift  stuff  into 
smooth  water ;  and  we  had  hoped  to  escape  in  the  long- 
boat, by  the  help  of  the  current,  if  we  could  have  launched 
her. 

"  We  had  now  drifted  to  within  a  third  of  a  mile  of  the 
brig  at  anchor,  the  crew  of  which  had  been  anxious  observ- 
ers of  our  situation  all  the  morning,  without  being  able  to 
render  us  assistance.  A  boat  had  been  despatched,  early  in 
the  morning,  to  our  relief,  and  approached  the  wreck  as 
near  as  the  sea  would  permit  them,  and  lay  on  their  oars, 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  rescue  us,  should  any  oppor- 
tunity occur,  of  which  there  was  but  a  faint  hope.  They 
were  sometimes  entangled  in  the  ice,  and  carried  a  mile  or 
two  from  us,  and  at  other  times  striving  to  work  their  way 
towards  the  spars  and  fragments  of  the  wreck  which  the  cur- 
rent carried  clear  of  the  breakers,  to  see  if  there  were  any 
human  beings  chnging  to  them. 

"The  sea  was  now  breaking  with  such  violence  over  us, 
that  we  were  frequently  buried  beneath  the  fragments  of 
wreck ;  and  noiv  the  angel  of  death  hoarded  the  ill-fated 
bark,  and  began  to  number  his  victims.  The  first  sufferer 
was  a  beautiful  little  Greek  boy,  about  twelve  years  of  age, 
whom  I  had  found  at  Smyrna  an  orphan,  and  took  as  an  ap- 
prentice.  When  the  cabin  began  to  fill  with  water,  I  brought 


46 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    BRIG    REGULATOR. 


him  on  deck,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  and  stowed  him  in  one 
corner  of  the  round-house,  which  had  resisted  many  heavy 
seas,  and  yet  remained  entire.  The  heart-rending  cries  of 
the  poor  little  fellow,  who  was  a  universal  favorite  onboard, 
drew  tears  from  the  eyes  of  the  hardiest,  and  all  seemed  for 
a  while  to  forget  their  own  sorrows  in  the  contemplation  of 
the  sufferings  of  poor  Jerome.     A  tremendous  sea  at  this 


Jerome  Philantro^  the  Greek  Orphan. 

moment  boarded  us  ;  the  round-house  was  shivered  into 
fragments,  and  the  poor  boy's  agonizing  shrieks  were  hushed 
in  death.  The  same  sea  washed  the  long-boat  overboard, 
but  did  not  capsize  her  ;  and  she  lay  to  leeward  of  the  wreck, 
upright,  but  full  of  water,  and  out  of  our  reach.     One  of  the 


THE    LONG-BOAT    CAPSIZED.  47 

seamen  was  also  buried  beneath  the  ruins  of  the  round-house, 
and  perished  there.  The  mainmast  was  still  standing,  and 
the  rigging  firm  :  to  it  the  remainder  of  us  now  retreated. 

"  The  vessel  was  now  fast  breaking  up ;  plank  and  tim- 
bers were  leaving  her  ;  she  had  broken  in  two  amidships, 
and  every  sea  was  reducing  her  to  fragments.  While  on 
deck,  with  the  sea  continually  breaking  over  us,  and  the 
water  being  much  warmer  than  the  air,  the  ice  did  not  ac- 
cumulate on  our  clothes  ;  nor  did  we  feel  the  cold  as  we  did 
after  gaining  the  rigging  :  here  we  were  more  exposed  to 
the  action  of  the  air,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  with  the  sea  oc- 
casionally reaching  us,  we  resembled  clods  of  ice  more  than 
human  beings.  About  this  time,  a  refluent  sea  brought  the 
long-boat  near  the  lower  part  of  the  rigging,  where  three 
seamen  and  myself  were  clinging;  two  of  them  threw  them- 
selves into  her ;  the  other,  Augustus  Tileston,  a  fine  young 
lad  from  Vermont,  now  on  his  first,  and,  I  may  also  add, 
his  last  voyage,  was  on  the  point  of  following  them  ;  but, 
seeing  that  I  had  moved  towards  the  boat,  but  again  re- 
treated, he  hesitated  what  to  do,  until,  just  as  the  last 
chance  offered  of  reaching  her,  and  hearing  me  express  my 
determination  not  to  leave  the  others,  who  were  unable  to 
get  into  the  boat,  he  embraced  my  knees  in  an  affectionate 
manner,  and  jumped  for  the  boat ;  in  a  second,  she  was  out 
of  reach  again ;  they  now  cast  off  or  cut  the  hawser,  and 
drifted  astern.  I  firmly  beheved  they,  and  they  alone, 
would  be  saved  ;  but,  exhausted  by  their  previous  exertions, 
and  chilled  through  by  being  up  to  their  shoulders  in  a  boat 
full  of  ice  and  water,  they  were  unable  to  clear  away  an  oar 
to  keep  the  boat  head  to  the  sea,  and  were  consequently 
capsized,  and  perished. 

''  Five  were  now  already  dead,  and  in  their  sad  fate  we 
had  but  little  doubt  of  foreseeing  our  own.  While  in  the 
rigging,  I  saw  the  poor  boy  Tileston  wash  from  the  opposite 
side,  a  stiffened  corpse,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  washed 
from  the  wreck,  with  his  head  jammed  to  a  pomace.  Find- 
ing that  we  were  fast  freezing  in  this  situation,  I  succeeded 
in  regaining  a  part  of  the  quarter-deck,  to  keep  more  under 
water,  and  less  exposed  to  the  air :  to  this  I  was  followed  by 
the  others,  with  the  exception  of  one  poor  fellow,  whose 
hands  were  badly  frozen,  and  his  fingers  bent  like  hooks :  he 


48  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    BRIG    REGL'LATOR. 

had  liooked  one  hand  over  a  lathne,  and  lost  his  foothold  ; 
consequently  was  dangling  in  the  air,  until  a  heavy  sea  lifted 
him,  and  fortunately  extricated  him  from  his  singular  and 
perilous  situation.  We  were  unable  to  lash  ourselves,  but 
succeeded  in  getting  into  the  bight  of  two  water-cask  lash- 
ings that  were  around  the  quarter  stanchions,  the  casks  hav- 
ing washed  out  of  them.  Here  we  remained  for  about  an 
hour,  viewing  with  intense  interest  the  movements  of  the 
party  in  the  boat,  who,  after  above  five  hours'  fruitless  exer- 
tions to  rescue  us, — being  themselves  often  in  imminent  dan- 
ger of  being  carried  by  the  ice  among  the  breakers,  or  of 
freezing  in  the  boat,  the  weather  being  extremely  cold  ;  in 
vain  forcing  their  way  through  bodies  of  ice,  and,  impelled 
by  the  loud  supplications  of  their  suflering  brethren,  ap- 
proaching even  witliin  the  whirling  foam  of  the  breakers,  but 
well  knowing  if  they  ventured  farther  all  would  be  lost,  — 
again  retired.  And  oh,  with  what  feelings  of  agony  did  we 
see  them  return  to  tlieir  vessel  !  yet  we  hoped  they  went  for 
fresh  hands ;  and  again  we  had  hope,  and  again  hope  died 
'within  us  at  seeing  them  leave  their  boat,  and  their  places 
not  taken  by  others.  But  they  could  not  stand  idle  long : 
again  our  shouts  rang  in  their  ears,  and  aroused  their  hearts 
to  greater  daring.  The  long-boat  was  cleared  away,  and 
hoisted  out ;  and,  after  what  seemed  to  us  an  age  of  time, 
•both  boats  shoved  off  again  to  our  rescue. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  tlie  wreck  was  fast  disappearing, 
breaking  up,  or  settling  in  the  sand  ;  and,  expecting  that  the 
next  wave  would  send  us  all  into  eternity,  with  what  awful 
suspense  did  we  await  their  motions  !  They  approached  with 
both  boats  to  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of  us, — nearer 
to  the  terrific  breakers  they  could  not  approach  and  live, — and 
there  they  awaited  the  result.  In  about  half  an  hour,  and 
when  we  were  satisfied  that  no  boat  could  reach  us  unless 
the  sea  fell, — and  nothing  short  of  a  miracle  could  have  ef- 
fected that  before  we  had  all  frozen  to  death, — and  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  that  man  could  not  save  its,  a  cake  of  ice, 
drifting  by  the  wreck  to  windward,  kept  the  sea  from  break- 
ing for  perhaps  eight  or  ten  minutes.  They  seized  the  op- 
portunity, pulled  in  with  the  long-boat,  and  we  threw  our- 
selves into  her,  cleared  the  breakers  in  safety,  and  soon  Ibund 
ourselves  in  the  comfortable  cabin  of  the  brig  Cervantes  of 


GRATEFUL    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.  49 

Boston,  Captain  Kendrick,  and  receiving  all  the  kindness 
and  attention  that  humanity  could  suggest. 

"  To  the  intrepid  and  daring  perseverance  of  these  hu- 
mane men,  under  God,  we  owe  our  lives.  We  were  utterly 
helpless  when  taken  off;  the  ice  had  accumulated  on  our 
clothes  to  such  a  degree  that  we  could  not  bend  a  joint ;  we 
felt  the  blood  freezing  in  our  veins,  and  nature  fast  ex- 
hausting. Our  deliverance  was  unlooked  for,  and  truly 
providential. 

"  The  next  morning,  when  the  Cervantes  got  under  weigh 
for  Boston,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  the  wreck  but  some 
of  the  floor-timber-heads  sticking  out  of  the  flats  at  low 
water.  The  spot  where  the  Regulator  was  lost  is  a  sunken 
island,  called  Brown's  Island,  of  great  extent,  over  which  the 
sea  breaks  with  dreadful  violence. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  survivors  were  landed  at 
Rainsford  Island,  in  Boston  harbor,  where  they  experienced 
every  attention  and  care  that  their  wants  required,  or  hospi- 
tality could  bestow;  and  for  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Minot  and 
his  excellent  family,  and  the  medical  care  of  Dr.  J.  V.  C. 
Smith,  the  survivors  feel  under  deep  obligations  of  grati- 
tude. 

"  The  names  of  those  who  perished  were  as  follow :  — 
George  Dryden,  Daniel  Canton,  Augustus  Tileston,  John 
Smith,  seamen ;  Jerome  Philantro,  boy.  —  The  survivors 
were  much  frozen  and  bruised.  The  first  mate  and  one 
man  have  since  had  all  the  fingers  of  their  left  hands 
amputated. 

"  The  Humane  Society  of  Boston  bestowed  gold  medals 
and  money  on  the  oflicers  and  prew  of  the  Cervantes  ;  and 
the  citizens  of  Boston,  with  their  accustomed  liberality, 
subscribed  six  hundred  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  mates 
and  surviving  seamen  of  the  Regulator.'' 


THE    SINGULAR    PRESERVATION 

OF 

JAMES  BROCK,  THE  BEACHMAN, 

Who  AYas  capsized  in  a  Yawl  off  Yarmouth,  on  the 
Eastern  Coast  of  England,  and  his  Providential 
Rescue,  after  swimming  more  than  Fourteen  Miles, 
Octoher,  1835. 

MONGST  the  sons  of  labor,  there  are 
none  more  deserving  of  their  hard  earn- 
ings than  that  class  of  persons  denomi 
nated  Beachmen,  on  the  shores  of  Great 
Britain.  To  those  unacquainted  with 
maritime  affairs,  it  may  be  as  well  to  ob- 
serve, that  these  men  are  bred  to  the  sea 
from  their  earliest  infancy ;  are  employed  in  the  summer 
months  very  frequently  as  regular  sailors  or  fishermen ;  and 
during  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring,  when  gales  are  most 
frequent  on  that  coast,  in  going  off  in  boats  to  vessels  in 
distress,  in  all  weathers,  to  the  imminent  risk  of  their  lives ; 
fishing  up  lost  anchors  and  cables,  and  looking  out  for  waifs, 
i.  e.  any  thing  abandoned  or  wrecked,  which  the  winds  and 
weaves  may  have  cast  in  their  way.  In  the  seaports,  those 
persons  are  usually  divided  into  companies,  between  whom 
the  greatest  rivalry  exists  in  regard  to  the  beauty  and  swift- 
ness of  their  boats,  and  their  dexterity  in  managing  them  : 
this  too  often  leads  to  feats  of  the  greatest  daring,  which 
the  widow  and  orphan  have  long  to  deplore.  To  one  of 
these  companies,  known  by  the  name  of  "  Layton's,"  whose 
rendezvous  and  "look-out"  is  close  to  Yarmouth  Jetty, 
Brock  belongs,  and  in  pursuit  of  his  calling  the  following 
event  is  recorded. 

About  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  on   the  6th  of  October,  1835, 
a  vessel  was  observed  at  sea,  from  this  station,  with  a  signal 


^       ASSISTANCE    GIVEN   TO    THE    SPANISH   BRIG.  51 

flying  for  a  pilot,  bearing  east,  distant  about  twelve  miles. 
In  a  space  of  time  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  wit- 
nessed the  launching  of  a  large  boat  on  a  like  occasion,  the 
yawl  ''  Increase,"  eighteen  tons  burthen,  belonging  to  Lay- 
ton's  gang,  with  ten  men  and  a  London  Branch  Pilot,  was 
under  weigh,  steering  for  the  object  of  their  enterprise.  "  I 
was  as  near  as  possible  being  left  ashore,"  said  Brock  to  me, 
"  for,  at  the  time  the  boat  was  getting  down  to  the  breakers, 
I  was  looking  at  Manby's  apparatus  for  saving  the  lives  of 
persons  on  a  wreck,  then  practising ;  and  but  for  the  '  singing 
out'  of  my  messmates,  which  caught  my  ear,  should  have 
been  too  late ;  but  I  reached  in  time  to  jump  in  with  wet 
feet." 

About  four  o'clock,  they  came  up  with  the  vessel,  which 
proved  to  be  a  Spanish  brig,  Paquette  de  Bilboa,  laden  with 
a  general  cargo,  and  bound  from  Hamburgh  to  Cadiz,  leaky, 
and  both  pumps  at  work.  After  a  great  deal  of  chaffering 
and  haggling  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  salvage,  —  always 
the  case  with  foreigners,  —  and  some  little  altercation  with 
part  of  the  boat's  crew,  as  to  which  of  them  should  stay 
with  the  vessel,  T.  Layton,  a  Gatt  pilot,  J.  Woolsey,  and 
George  Darling,  boatmen,  were  finally  chosen  to  assist  in 
pumping  and  piloting  her  into  Yarmouth  harbor:  the  re- 
mainder of  the  crew  of  the  yawl  were  then  sent  away. 
The  brig,  at  this  time,  was  about  five  miles  to  the  eastward 
of  the  Newarp  Floating  Light,  off  Winterton,  on  the  Norfolk 
coast,  the  weather  looking  squally.  On  passing  the  light,  in 
their  homeward  course,  a  signal  was  made  for  them  to  go 
alongside,  and  they  were  requested  to  take  on  shore  a  sick 
man  ;  and,  the  poor  fellow  being  comfortably  placed  upon 
some  jackets  and  spare  coats,  they  again  shoved  off,  and  set 
all  sail,  three  lugs :  they  had  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  west- 
south-west.  And  now,  again,  my  readers  shall  have  Brock's 
own  words :  — 

"  There  was  little  better  than  a  pint  of  liquor  in  the  boat, 
which  the  Spaniard  had  given  us,  and  the  bottle  had  passed 
once  round,  each  man  taking  a  mouthful,  and  about  half  of 
it  was  thus  consumed  ;  most  of  us  had  got  a  bit  of  bread  or 
biscuit  in  his  hand,  making  a  sort  of  light  meal,  and  into 
the  bargain  I  had  hold  of  the  main  sheet.  We  had  passed 
the  buoy  of  the  Newarp  a  few  minutes,  and  the  light  was 


52  THE    ESCAPE    OF    BROCK,    THE    BEACHMAN. 

about  two  miles  astern  ;  we  had  talked  of  our  job,  —  i.  e.  our 
earnings,  —  and  had  thus  calculated  that  by  ten  o'clock  we 
should  be  at  Yarmouth." 

"Alas  !  nor  wife  nor  children  more  shall  they  behold, 
Nor  friends,  nor  sacred  home." 

Without  the  slightest  notice  of  its  approach,  a  terrific 
squall  from  the  northward  took  the  yawl's  sails  flat  aback, 
and  the  ballast,  which  they  had  trimmed  to  windward, 
being  thus  suddenly  changed  to  leeward,  she  was  upset 
in  an  instant.  Her  crew  and  passenger  were  nine  in 
number. 

"Then  rose  from  sea  to  sky  the  v/ild  farewell." 

But  perhaps  Brock's  words  on  the  occasion  will  excite 
more  interest  than  Byron's.  '•'  'Twas  terrible  to  listen  to 
the  cries  of  the  poor  fellows,  some  of  whom  could  swim,  and 
others  who  could  not:  mixed  with  the  hissing  of  the  water 
and  the  bowlings  of  the  storm,  I  heard  shrieks  for  mercy, 
and  some  that  had  no  meaning  but  what  arose  from  fear. 
I  struck  out  to  get  clear  of  the  crowd,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
there  was  no  noise,  for  most  of  the  men  had  sunk ;  and,  on 
turning  round,  I  saw  the  boat  was  still  kept  from  going 
down,  by  the  wind  having  got  under  her  sails.  I  then 
swam  back  to  her,  and  assisted  an  old  man  to  get  hold  of 
one  of  her  spars.  The  boat's  side  was  about  three  feet 
under  water,  and  for  a  few  minutes  I  stood  upon  her  ;  but  I 
found  she  was  gradually  settling  down,  and  when  up  to  my 
chest  I  again  left  her  and  swam  away  ;  and  now,  for  the  first 
time,  I  began  to  think  of  my  own  awful  condition.  My  com- 
panions were  all  drowned, — at  least  I  supposed  so.  How 
long  it  was  up  to  this  period,  from  the  boat's  capsizing,  I 
cannot  exactly  say ;  in  such  cases,  sir,  there  is  no  time ;  but 
now  I  reflected  that  it  was  half  past  six,  P.  M.,  just  before 
the  accident  occurred  ;  that  the  nearest  land  at  the  time  was 
six  miles  distant ;  that  it  was  dead  low  water,  and  the  flood 
tide  setting  off  the  shore,  making  to  the  southward  ;  there- 
fore, should  I  ever  reach  the  land,  it  would  take  me  at  least 
fifteen  miles  setting  up  with  the  flood,  before  the  ebb  would 
assist  me." 

At  this  moment,  a  rush  horse  collar,  covered  with  old  net- 


DISENCUMBERS    HIMSELF    OF    CLOTHING.  53 

ting,  which  had  been  used  as  one  of  the  boat's  fenders,  float- 
ed close  to  him,  which  he  laid  hold  of,  and  getting  his  knife 
out,  he  stripped  it  of  the  net  work,  and,  by  putting  his  left 
arm  through  it,  was  supported  till  he  had  cut  the  waistband 
of  his  petticoat  trousers,  which  then  fell  off:  his  striped  frock, 
waistcoat,  and  neckcloth,  were  also  similarly  got  rid  off;  but 
he  dared  not  try  to  free  himself  of  his  oiled  trousers,  draw- 
ers, or  shirt,  fearing  that  his  legs  might  become  entangled  in 
the  attempt :  he  therefore  returned  his  knife  into  the  pocket 
of  his  trousers,  and  put  the  collar  over  his  head,  which, 
although  it  assisted  in  keeping  him  above  water,  retarded 
his  swimming,  and,  after  a  few  moments  thinking  what  was 
best  to  be  done,  he  determined  to  abandon  it.  He  now,  to 
his  great  surprise,  perceived  one  of  his  messmates  swimming 
ahead  of  him,  but  he  did  not  hail  him.  The  roar  of  the 
hurricane  was  past ;  the  cries  of  drowning  men  were  no 
longer  heard  ;  and  the  moonbeams  were  casting  their  silvery 
light  over  the  smooth  surface  of  the  deep,  calm  and  silent  as 
the  grave  over  which  he  floated,  and  into  which  he  saw  this 
last  of  his  companions  descend,  without  a  struggle  or  a  cry, 
as  he  approached  within  twenty  yards  of  him.  Yes,  he  be- 
held the  last  of  his  brave  crew  die  beside  him  ;  and  now  he 
was  alone  in  the  cold,  silent  loneliness  of  night,  more  awful 
than  the  strife  of  the  elements  which  had  preceded.  Per- 
haps, at  this  time,  something  might  warn  him  that  he,  too, 
would  soon  be  mingled  with  the  dead, 

"With  not  one  friend  to  animate,  and  tell 
To  others'  ears  that  death  became  him  well." 

But  if  such  thoughts  did  intrude,  they  were  but  for  a  mo- 
ment ;  and  again  his  mental  energies,  joined  with  his  lion 
heart  and  bodily  prowess,  cast  away  all  fear,  and  he  reck- 
oned the  remotest  possible  chances  of  deliverance,  applying 
the  means, 

"  Courage  and  hope  both  teaching  him  the  practice." 

Up  to  this  time,  Winterton  Light  had  served,  instead  of  a 
landmark,  to  direct  his  course  ;  but  the  tide  had  now  carried 
him  out  of  sight  of  it,  and  in  its  stead,  "  a  bright  star  stood 
over  where "   his  hopes  of  safety  rested.     With   his   eyes 

5* 


54 


THE    ESCAPE    OF    BROCK,    THE    BEACHMAN. 


steadfastly  fixed  upon  it,  he  continued  swimming  on,  calcu» 
lating  the  time  when  the  tide  would  turn.  But  h'is  trials 
were  not  yet  past.  As  if  to  prove  the  power  of  human 
fortitude,  the  sky  became  suddenly  overclouded,  and  "  dark- 
ness was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep."  He  no  longer  knew 
his  course,  and  he  confessed  that  for  a  moment  he  was 
afraid  ;  yet  he  felt  that  "  fear  is  but  the  betraying  of  the 
succors  which  reason  offereth  ; "  and  that  which  roused  him 
to  further  exertion  would  seal  the  fate  of  almost  any  other 
human  being.  A  sudden,  short,  crackling  peal  of  thunder 
burst  in  stunning  loudness  just  over  his  head,  and  the  forked 
and  flashing  lightning,  at  brief  intervals,  threw  its  vivid  fires 
around  him.  This,  too,  in  its  turn,  passed  away,  and  left 
the  wave  once  more  calm  and  unruffled  ;  the  moon,  nearly 
full,  again  threw  a  more  brilliant  light  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  sea,  which  the  storm  had  gone  over  without  waking  from 
its  slumbers.  His  next  effort  was  to  free  himself  from  his 
heavy  laced  boots,  which  greatly  encumbered  him,  and  in 
which  he  succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  his  knife.  He  now  saw 
Lowestoff  High  Lighthouse,  and  could  occasionally  discern 
the  tops  of  the  cliffs  beyond  Gorlestone,  on  the  Suffolk 
coast.  The  swell  of  the  sea  drove  him  over  the  Cross  Sand 
Ridge,  and  he  then  got  sight  of  a  buoy,  which,  although  it 
told  him  his  exact  position,  as  he  says,  took  him  rather  aback, 
as  he  had  hoped  he  was  nearer  the  shore.      It  proved  to  be 


The  Chequered  Buoy  of  St.  Nicholas  Gait. 

the  chequered  buoy  of  St.  Nicholas  Gatt,  off  Yarmouth,  and 
opposite  his  own  door,  but  distant  from  the  land  four  miles. 
And  now  again  he  held  counsel  with  himself,  and  the  ener- 


ANNOYED    BY    GULLS.  55 

gles  of  his  mind  seem  almost  superhuman  ;  he  had  been  five 
hours  in  the  water,  and  here  was  something  to  hold  on  by  ; 
he  could  even  have  got  upon  the  buoy,  and  some  vessel 
might  come  near  to  pick  him  up,  and  the  question  was, 
Could  he  yet  hold  out  four  miles  ?  "  But,"  as  he  said,  "  I 
knew  the  night  air  would  soon  finish  me,  and,  had  I  staid 
but  a  few  minutes  upon  it,  and  then  altered  my  mind,  how 
did  I  know  that  my  limbs  would  again  resume  their  oflice  ?  " 
He  found  the  tide,  to  use  a  sea  term,  v^^as  broke ;  it  did  not 
run  so  strong ;  so  he  abandoned  the  buoy,  and  steered  for 
the  land,  toward  which,  with  the  wind  from  the  eastward, 
he  found  he  was  fast  approaching.  The  last  trial  of  his 
fortitude  was  now  at  hand,  for  which  he  was  totally  unpre- 
pared, and  which  he  considers,  —  sailors  being  not  a  little 
superstitious,  —  the  most  difficult  of  any  he  had  to  combat. 
Soon  after  he  left  the  buoy,  he  heard  just  above  his  head  a 
whizzing  sound,  which  his  imagination  conjured  into  the 
prelude  to  the  "  rushing  of  a  mighty  wind  ; "  and  close  to  his 
ear  there  followed  a  smart  splash  in  the  water,  and  a  sudden 
shriek,  that  went  through  him,  —  such  as  is  heard 

"When  the  lone  sea-bird  wakes  its  wildest  cry," 

The  fact  was,  a  large  gray  gull,  mistaking  him  for  a  corpse, 
had  made  a  dash  at  him  ;  and  its  loud  discordant  scream  in 
a  moment  brought  a  countless  number  of  these  formidable 
birds  together,  all  prepared  to  contest  for  and  share  the 
spoil. 

"The  eagle  soars  alone;  the  gull  and  crow 
Flock  o'er  their  carrion  just  as  mortals  do." 

These  large  and  powerful  foes  he  had  now  to  scare  from 
their  intended  prey  ;  and  by  shouting  and  splashing  with  his 
hands  and  feet,  in  a  few  minutes  they  vanished  from  sight 
and  hearing. 

He  now  caught  sight  of  a  vessel  at  anchor,  but  a  great 
Way  off;  and,  to  get  within  hail  of  her.  he  must  swim  over 
Gorton  Sands,  the  grave  of  thousands,  the  breakers  at  this 
time  showing  their  angry  white  crests.  As  he  approached, 
the  wind  suddenly  changed  ;  the  consequence  of  which  was 
that  the  swell  of  the  sea  met  him.  And  now,  again,  for  his 
own  description :  — 


56  THE    ESCAPE    OF    BROCK,    THE    BEACHMAN. 

*'  I  got  a  great  deal  of  water  down  my  throat,  which 
greatly  weakened  me  ;  and  I  felt  certain  that,  should  this 
continue,  it  would  soon  be  all  over ;  and  I  prayed  that  the 
wind  might  change,  or  that  God  would  take  away  my  senses 
before  I  felt  what  it  was  to  drown.  In  less  time  than  I  am 
telling  you,  I  had  driven  over  the  sands  into  smooth  water ; 
the  ivind  and  swell  came  again  from  the  eastward,  and  my 
streno^th  returned  to  me  as  fresh  as  in  the  beoinninoj." 

He  now  felt  assured  that  he  could  reach  the  shore ;  but 
he  considered  it  would  be  better  to  get  within  hail  of  the 
brig,  some  distance  to  the  southward  of  him,  and  the  most 
difficult  task  of  the  two,  as  the  ebb  tide  was  now  running, 
which,  although  it  carried  him  towards  the  land,  set  to  the 
northward ;  and  to  gain  the  object  of  his  choice  would 
require  much  greater  exertion.  But  here  comes  Brock 
again :  — 

"  If  I  gained  the  shore,  could  I  get  out  of  the  surf,  which 
at  this  time  was  heavy  on  the  beach  ?  and,  supposing  I  suc- 
ceeded in  this  point,  should  I  be  able  to  walk,  climb  the 
cliffs,  and  get  to  a  house  ?  If  not,  there  was  little  chance  of 
life  remaining  long  in  me  ;  but  if  I  could  make  myself  heard 
on  board  the  brig,  then  I  should  secure  immediate  assistance. 
I  got  within  tw^o  hundred  yards  of  her,  the  nearest  possible 
approach,  and,  summoning  all  my  strength,  I  sung  out  as 
well  as  if  I  had  been  on  shore." 

"The  seamen's  cry  was  heard  along  the  deep." 

He  was  answered  from  the  deck,  a  boat  was  instantly  low- 
ered, and  at  half  past  one,  A.  M.,  having  swam  seven  hours 
in  an  October  night,  he  was  safe  on  board  the  brig  Betsy 
of  Sunderland,  coal  laden,  at  anchor  in  Gorton  Roads,  four- 
teen miles  from  the  spot  where  the  boat  was  capsized.  The 
captain's  name  was  Ghristian. 

Once  safe  on  board,  "  Nature  cried  Enough  ;  "  he  fainted, 
and  continued  insensible  for  some  time.  All  that  humanity 
could  suggest  was  done  for  him  by  Ghristian  and  his  crew : 
they  had  no  spirits  on  board,  but  they  had  bottled  ale,  which 
they  made  warm,  and  by  placing  Brock  before  a  good  fire, 
rubbing  him  dry,  and  putting  him  in  hot  blankets,  he  was 
at  length  with  great  difficulty  enabled  to  get  a  little  of  the 
ale  down  his  throat ;  but  it  caused  excruciating  pain,  as  his 


HE    REACHES    HOME    IN    SAFETY. 


57 


throat  was  in  a  state  of  high  inflammation,  from  breathing, 
as  a  swimmer  does,  so  long  the  sahne  particles  of  sea  and 
air ;  and  it  was  now  swollen  very  much,  and,  as  he  says,  he 
feared  he  should  be  suffocated.  He,  however,  after  a  little 
time,  fell  into  a  sleep,  which  refreshed  and  strengthened 
him ;  but  he  awoke  to  intense  bodily  suffering.  Round  his 
neck  and  chest  he  was  perfectly  flayed  ;  the  soles  of  his  feet, 
his  hands,  and  his  hamstrings,  were  also  equally  excoriated. 
In  this  state,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  brig  getting 
under  way  with  the  tide,  he  w^as  put  on  shore  at  Lowestoff, 
in  Suftblk,  and  immediately  despatched  a  messenger  to  Yar- 
mouth, with  the  sad  tidings  of  the  fate  of  the  yawl  and  the 
rest  of  the  crew. 

Being  now  safely  housed  under  the  roof  of  a  relative, 
with  good  nursing  and  medical  assistance,  in  five  days  from 
the  time  of  the  accident,  with  a  firm  step  he  walked  back 
to  Yarmouth,  to  confirm  the  wonderful  rumors  circulated 
respecting  him,  and  to  receive  the  congratulations  of  his 
friends  and  kindred 


A  DETAILED  JOURNAL 


OF  THE  PROCEEDINGS  ON  BOARD  OF  THE  STEAM-PACKET 


WHICH    SPRUNG    A-LEAK    OFF    CAPE    HATTERAS 


With  a  melancholy  Account  of  her  s^ibsequent  Loss 
on  Ocracoke  Island,  off  the  Coast  of  North  Caro- 
lina, Octoher,  1837. 


E  introduce  this  narrative  with  the  follow- 
ing eloquent  extract  from  the  funeral 
discourse  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smyth,  ad- 
dressed to  the  inhabitants  of  Charleston, 
S.  C. 

'^  We  have  been  called  upon,  my 
brethren,  to  hear,  during  the  past  week, 
a  tale  of  no  ordinary  sadness,  and  to  witness  calamity  of  no 
common  or  usual  endurance.  No  enemy  has  been  among 
us,  to  lay  waste  and  destroy.  No  plague  or  pestilence  have 
stalked  through  our  city,  brandishing  around  them  the  sword 
of  death.  Famine  has  not  opened  her  wide  and  hungry 
jaws  wdth   earthquake  rapacity.      No   hurricane   has  burst 


PRELIMINARY    REMARKS.  59 

upon  US  with  the  fury  of  a  midnight  assassin,  nor  has  the 
thunder's  bolt  riven  our  peaceful  habitations.  None  of 
these  things  have  happened.  There  has  been  among  us 
neither  open  enemy,  nor  plague,  pestilence,  or  famine,  nor 
yet  the  fury  of  the  whirlwind  and  the  thunder. 

"  Whence,  then,  that  pall  of  sadness  which  has  covered 
this  entire  community  ?  Whence  that  deep  and  universal  ^ 
sympathy  which  has  taken  possession  of  every  heart? 
Whence  that  eager,  anxious  solicitude  to  hear  fresh  tidings 
of  alarm?  Whence  those  sounds  of  lamentation,  and 
weeping,  and  great  mourning  —  parents  weeping  for  their 
children,  and  wives  for  their  husbands,  and  friends  for  their 
relatives,  and  all  refusing  to  be  comforted  because  they  are 
not.*  One  subject  has  entered  into  every  conversation, 
and  suggested  the  inquiry  to  every  meeting  friend.  What 
news  of  the  boat  ?  sounded  from  every  parlor.  What  news 
of  the  boat?  was  heard  in  every  dwelling,  and  at  the  corner 
of  every  street. 

"And  now  we  have  subsided  into  the  certain  and  un- 
questionable belief,  that  about  ninety  individuals,  several 
of  them  our  feUow-townsmen,  and  all  of  them  our  country- 
men, have  been  swallowed  upas  in  a  m.oment,  in  the  twin- 
kling of  an  eye,  and  perished  in  the  mighty  waters.  The 
flood  opened  and  they  sunk  like  lead  into  its  depths.  And 
the  sea  returned  in  his  strength  and  overthrew  them,  and 
the  waters  covered  them  —  there  remained  not  so  much  as 
one  of  all  that  hapless  number.  They  now  lie  cold  and 
stiff  in  death,  buried  by  the  sea-shore,  where  the  roar  of  its 
illimitable  waters  will  chant  their  funereal  dirge.  There 
they  alike  repose,  having  lain  down  together,  to  wake  no 
more  until  they  hear  that  trumpet's  voice,  which  will  arouse 
the  dull,  cold  ear  of  death.  There  are  the  old  and  the 
young  —  the  infirm  and  the  robust  —  the  rich  and  they 
who    struggled    hard   in   the   toils   of  life.       There   is    the 

*  The  individuals  belonging  to  Charleston,  who  were  lost,  were,  Madame 
Boudo,  Madame  Reviere,  Mrs.  Hussey,  Mrs.  .Levy,  Miss  F.  Levy,  Miss  O. 
Levy,  Mrs.  Flinn,  and  two  children  ;  Messrs.  P.  S.  Cohen,  H.  A.  Cohrs, 
S.  G.  Fuller,  H.  M.  Tileston,  and  Williman.  To  these  may  be  added  the 
names  of  Hardy  B.  Croom,  (formerly  of  Newbern,  N.  C.,)  and  his  interest- 
ing family,  who  were  intending  to  make  Charleston  their  future  residence, 
viz.,  Mrs.  Croom,  Miss  Croom,  Miss  J.  Croom,  Master  Croom,  and  Mrs. 
Camack,  a  relative. 


60  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

mother  and  her  infant  babe  —  the  husband  and  liis  long- 
tried  bosom  partner  —  the  friend  and  the  friendless.  And 
there,  too,  are  the  talented  and  accomplished.  One  grave 
protects  them  ;  the  same  earth  covers  them  ;  past  them  will 
flow  the  same  waters,  and  around  them  will  howl  the  same 
wintry  tempests. 

*'  One  fortnight  since,  and  how  many  hearts,  now  stiffened 
in  death,  beat  high  with  expectation  !  One  fortnight  since, 
and  how  many  homes  now  desolate,  and  forever  to  remain 
so,  were  filled  with  the  hope  and  the  promise  of  anticipated 
delight !  Separations  were  to  be  soon  terminated,  and  torn 
hearts  bound  up.  The  social  circle  was  soon  to  be  enli- 
vened, and  its  vacant  chairs  filled  up  by  their  accustomed 
tenants.  The  festivities  and  merriment  of  the  approaching 
season  were  already  wakened  up ;  and  forms  now  vanished 
were  seen  rejoicing  amid  the  splendors  of  the  scene. 

*'  My  brethren,  we  can  see  this  multitude  of  fellow-beings, 
as  they  crowded  on  board  that  packet  which  was  to  restore 
them  to  their  own  sweet  homes.  We  can  accompany  them, 
as  they  cheerfully  endured  all  the  trials  of  their  way,  in  the 
glad  promise  of  a  speedy  voyage.  We  can  enter  into  their 
fears,  as  they  heard  the  wind  roar  around  them,  preluding 
storm  and  tempest.  We  can  sympathize  Vv^ith  their  distress, 
when  they  saw  the  curling,  topping  waves  roll  on  the  in- 
creasing fury  of  the  gale,  and  the  darkening  heavens  shut 
out  the  cheerful  light  of  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars.  We 
can  weep  w^ith  them,  when  they  remembered  home,  and 
children,  and  friends,  and  felt  that  they  were  theirs,  proba- 
bly, no  more.  We  can  more  than  fancy  their  anguish, 
when  the  ship  began  to  yield  to  the  strokes  of  the  battering 
waves;  when  the  water,  no  longer  kept  without,  forced  its 
entrance  ;  when  they  were  driven  from  their  cabins,  now 
filling  with  the  devouring  element ;  when  the  machinery, 
enveloped  in  the  moist  waters,  could  no  longer  play ;  when 
their  failing  strength  was  no  more  able  to  keep  at  bay  the 
advancing  flood  ;  when  the  lowering  shades  of  night  deep- 
ened the  gloom  of  the  tempest ;  and  when,  in  the  hopeless- 
ness of  relief,  they  welcomed  the  fearful  hazard  of  running 
themselves  ashore,  amidst  the  breakers,  and  taking  chance 
among  the  ruins  of  the  shattered  hull. 

"  But  who  can  paint  the  scene  of  misery  which  now  pre- 


DEPARTURE  FROM  NEW  YORK.  61 

sented  itself?  Who  can  conceive  the  horrors  of  that  awful 
hour,  when,  having  struck  the  shore,  a  multitude  were  at 
once  swept  by  the  irresistible  billows  into  the  dark  and 
foaming  ocean ;  when  the  boat,  filled  with  those  who  were 
wilhng  to  make  trial  of  the  fearful  hazard,  was  seen  empty- 
ing its  contents  into  the  insatiate  waters ;  when,  amid  the 
sepulchral  tolling  of  the  bell,  the  ship  herself  was  seen  rap- 
idly cleaving  in  pieces  before  the  omnipotence  of  the  storm ; 
and,  one  after  another,  was  torn  from  his  place  of  fancied 
security,  and  whirled  into  the  eddying  rush  of  waters?  This 
is  a  scene  Vv^hich  fancy  may  attempt  to  picture,  but  which 
cannot  be  truly  imagined  even  by  the  fevered  mind  of  those 
who  were  so  wonderfully  delivered  from  it." 

On  Saturday,  the  7th  October,  1837,  at  four  o'clock,  P. 
M.,  the  steam-packet  Home,  commanded  by  Captain  White, 
left  New  York  for  Charleston,  S.  C.  Her  company  con- 
sisted of  between  eighty  and  ninety  passengers,  and  forty- 
three  of  the  boat's  crew,  including  the  officers ;  making  in 
all  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  persons.  The  weather  was 
fine,  with  a  light  breeze  from  the  south-west.  To  shorten 
the  distance,  a  skilful  pilot  took  her  through  the  Buttermilk 
Channel,  and  left  her  after  passing  Governor's  Island. 

Captain  White  says,  "I  now  called  an  experienced  helms- 
man to  the  wheel ;  with  whom  I  remained  until  we  had 
passed  two  of  the  New  Buoys,  which  we  left  some  distance 
to  the  eastward.  Before  coming  to  the  Second  Buoy,  how- 
ever, and  at  a  quarter  past  five  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  steward 
had  applied  to  me  for  the  silver,  and  a  list  of  passengers,  to 
enable  him  to  set  the  table  for  tea,  vrhich  were  both  in  my 
office.  I  told  him  to  wait  until  we  had  passed  the  Second 
Buoy ;  and,  after  passing  it,  gave  the  helmsman  directions 
to  keep  the  boat  headed  direct  for  the  lighthouse,  as  she 
was  then  going.  The  mate  at  this  moment  was  engaged  in 
slacking  the  lanyards  of  the  braces  of  the  smoke-chimneys, 
about  ten  feet  from  the  helmsman.  After  examining  the 
list  of  passengers,  &c.,  on  leaving  the  office,  found  that  the 
boat  headed  off  to  the  eastward,  and  the  headway  nearly 
stopped.  I  then  ran  up  to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  and  or- 
dered the  helm  hard  a-port :  he  ansv/ered,  '  The  helm  is 
hard  a-port,  sir,  but  she  won't  mind  her  helm.'  By  this 
time  the  boat  had  entirely  stopped  on  the  Romer  Shoal ; 
6 


62  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

the  ebb  tide  setting  strong  to  the  eastward,  and  a  Hght  west- 
erly wind,  to  which  cause  I  attribute  the  grounding  of  the 
boat.  At  this  time  the  engine  was  working  forward.  The 
engineer  inquired  whether  he  should  continue  to  work  her 
so,  or  back  her  off.  I  ordered  him  to  keep  on,  under  the 
impression  that  she  was  so  near  the  eastern  edge  of  the 
shoal  that  she  would  go  over ;  but  finding  that  she  did  not 
go  ahead,  I  ordered  him  to  back  her  off;  at  the  same  time 
ordered  the  wood  and  cable  to  be  shifted  to  the  larboard 
side,  in  order  to  list  the  boat ;  in  ba(5king  her,  found  she 
slued  a  little,  but  would  not  work  off  the  shoal.  There  was 
now  no  alternative,  but  to  remain  until  the  tide  rose.  The 
passengers,  at  tea,  made  many  inquiries  as  to  any  danger 
from  being  aground  ;  apprehended  none  myself,  as  the  water 
was  entirely  smooth,  and  wind  light.  I  endeavored  to  make 
them  easy.  About  seven,  P.  M.,  we  were  boarded  by  a  Sandy 
Hook  pilot,  Joshua  Manwaring,  who  coincided  in  the  opinion 
that  the  boat  could  receive  no  injury  where  she  lay,  until 
she  should  float.  He  inquired  if  he  could  be  of  any  service  ; 
I  replied,  that  as  he  was  on  board,  I  preferred  that  he  should 
remain  until  we  had  passed  the  Hook.  At  half  past  ten 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  tide  having  risen,  the  square-sail  was 
hoisted  and  laid  aback  ;  we  started  the  engine,  and  succeed- 
ed in  backing  her  off,  having  the  flood  tide  to  aid  us. 

"Then  proceeded  on  our  course  past  the  Hook  ;  and  about 
a  quarter  past  eleven  o'clock  the  pilot  left  us  for  town.  The 
boat  and  machinery  appearing  to  be  in  good  order,  we  made 
rapid  progress  ;  and  were  abreast  of  Barnegat  light  on 
Sunday,  between  four  and  five  o'clock,  A.  M.  We  con- 
tinued with  fine  weather  until  towards  noon,  when  the  wind 
hauled  north-east,  with  indications  of  a  storm.  In  the  after 
part  of  the  day,  the  wind  increased,  occasioning  a  heavy 
sea.  Between  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  P.  M.,  Mr.  Hunt, 
the  chief  engineer,  informed  me  that  the  feeder-pipe  of  the 
forward  boiler  had  opened  at  the  joint,  so  that  it  forced 
more  of  the  water  into  the  hold  than  into  the  boiler ;  con- 
sequently there  was  not  a  supply  for  that  boiler :  we  then 
run  with  one  boiler,  and  set  the  square-sail.  I  inquired  if 
he  could  repair  the  pipe  at  sea ;  to  which  he  answered  that 
it  was  possible,  if  we  kept  the  vessel  off  before  the  wind 
and  sea,     I  accordingly  put  her  before  the  wind,  which  both 


ENGINE  REPAIRED.  COURSE  RESUMED,        63 

eased  the  vessel  and  enabled  me  to  near  the  mouth  of  Ches- 
apeake Bay,  in  case  it  should  become  necessary  to  make  a 
harbor.  About  midnight,  the  chief  engineer  reported  to  me 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  repairing  the  feeder-pipe  ;  and 
then  we  again  put  both  boilers  in  operation,  and  resumed 
our  course  for  Charleston,  continuing,  occasionally,  to  heave 
the  lead,  shoaling  the  water  gradually,  from  twenty  to  eleven 
fathoms.  When  we  got  into  eleven  fathoms,  at  four  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  the  mat€  and  his  watch  were  called ;  we  took  in  the 
square-sail,  and  hauled  her  course  to  south-south-east,  this 
being  the  course  along  the  land  ;  we  continued  this  course 
until  seven  o'clock,  at  which  time  it  lighted  up  a  little,  and 
we  saw  the  land  about  fifty  miles  to  the  northward  of  Hat- 
teras.  The  gale  continuing  to  increase,  I  ordered  the  second 
mate,  Mr.  White,  to  reef  the  jib  and  foresail,  to  have  them 
ready  for  use  if  we  should  want  them.  At  about  nine 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  Monday,  the  second  engineer,  Mr.  Conro, 
came  to  me  at  the  Vv^heel-house,  and  reported  that  the  boilers 
had  given  out,  and  said^  '  We  can  do  nothing  more  for  you 
with  steam.' 

''  The  land  being  then  in  sight,  I  ordered  the  jib  and  fore- 
sail set,  and  headed  the  vessel  in  for  shore,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  beaching  her.  I  ordered  the  reef  turned  out  of  the 
foresail,  and  then  went  down  to  the  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Hunt,  in  the  engine-room,  and  asked  him  whether  the  boilers 
had  indeed  given  out ;  he  replied,  '  No,  it  is  the  feeder- 
pipe,'  which  had  again  started  ;  and  that  the  report  of  the 
second  engineer  arose  from  a  mistake  of  the  fireman,  Mr. 
Hunt  having  'woulded'  the  joint  again,  I  asked  him 
whether  it  would  stand  to  w^ork  the  boat  off  shore ;  he 
answered,  yes,  that  he  thought  it  would.  I  then  ordered 
him  to  fire  up,  and  to  get  more  steam  on,  to  force  her  ofT 
shore  ;  I  then  returned  to  the  wheel-house,  and  ordered  the 
foresail  taken  in,  and  again  hauled  the  vessel  off  shore  to 
resume  our  former  course.  Before  we  got  to  the  Wimble 
Shoals,  when  I  was  at  the  wheel-house,  I  observed  Mr. 
Lovegreen  very  busy  about  the  small  boat  on  the  after  upper 
deck.  I  went  aft  to  see  what  he  was  doing  ;  he  told  me  he 
*  was  getting  the  boats  ready  for  launching,  in  case  we 
should  want  them,  and  was  fixing  hfe-lines  and  lashing  the 
oars  in  the  boat.'  I  said,  '  Very  well,  sir,  but  cast  ofi'  nojie 
of  the  lashingsJ 


64  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOMjC. 

*'In  consequence  of  running  in,  for  the  purpose  of  beach- 
ing her,  as  above  stated,  we  were  brought  within  the  Wim- 
ble Shoals.  In  passing  these  shoals,  we  received  the  shock 
of  three  heavy  rollers  on  our  larboard  beam,  which  stove 
in  our  after  gangway,  several  of  the  larboard  state-room 
windows,  and  one  of  the  dining-room  windows.  Mr. 
Matthews,  about  this  time,  remarked,  '  We  are  through 
this.'  I  answered,  '  Yes,  ive  are  over  thai  part  of  it^ 
meaning  the  passing  of  the  shoals.  Captain  Hill,  a  pas- 
senger, came  to  the  forward  deck  and  hailed  me,  to  know 
whether  '  we  had  not  better  knock  away  the  forward  bul- 
warks, that  the  sea  might  have  a  fair  breach  over  her,'  as 
he  was  afraid  that  we  might  ship  some  of  those  seas  and 
fill  the  deck  and  cabin.  I  told  him  there  was  no  necessity 
for  it,  as  some  of  the  boards  had  already  been  burst  oiF; 
however,  I  had  no  objection  to  his  knocking  off  some  more, 
if  he  chose  to  do  it;  he  did  knock  off  some  of  the  boards, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  steward,  Mr.  Milne,  un- 
shipped the  starboard  gangway. 

"  During  this  time  our  course  was  south-south-east  to  south- 
east; and  finding  the  vessel  pressed  too  much  to  leeward,  I 
ordered  the  jib  to  be  taken  in.  About  this  period  Captain 
Salter,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  a  passenger,  came  on  the  for- 
ward deck  and  hailed  me,  I  being  at  the  wheel-house  on  the 
upper  deck,  and  said,  '  Captain  White,  had  not  some  of  us 
better  look  out  for  some  place  to  beach  her  ? '  I  answered, 
'  No,  Captain  Salter,  I  do  not  intend  to  beach  her  yet,  nor 
as  long  as  I  can  keep  off  shore.'  He  expressed  his  sur- 
prise, and  replied,  '  No  !  Do  you  think  you  can  work  her 
off? '  I  answered,  '  Yes'^  Between  two  and  three  o'clock, 
P.  M.,  Mr.  Hunt,  the  engineer,  sent  to  the  wheel-house  for 
me  ;  I  went  to  the  engine-room  ;  he  told  me  that  '  the  boat 
had  commenced  leaking  badly.'  I  asked  if  it  were  not 
possible  to  keep  her  free  v/ith  the  engine-pumps.  He  said, 
'  You  had  better  send  men  to  the  hand-pumps,  and  perhaps 
we  may  then  keep  her  free.'  I  ordered  the  mate  to  send 
men  to  the  pumps,  which  was  immediately  done.  I  then 
returned  to  the  wheel-house. 

"About  this  time  Captains  Salter  and  Hill  came  on  the 
forward  deck,  and  asked  me  if  I  would  not  get  a  light,  and 
go  down  with  them  and  try  to  find  the  leak.     I  ordered  a 


A    SEARCH    FOR    THE    LEAK.  65 

lantern  and  marlin-spike,  which  were  brought.  I  then  went 
down  into  the  forward  cabin  with  them,  took  up  the  floor 
scuttles,  went  down  into  the  hold,  found  710  water  over  the 
platform,  broke  some  holes  in  the  platform  with  the  marlin- 


The  Home  shipping-  a  tremendous  Sea  near  die  Wimble  Slioals. 

spike,  and  then  found  ?io  ivnfer.  Whilst  in  the  fore-hold, 
Captain  Salter  remarked  that  the  boat  '  was  ceiled  with 
nothing  but  thin,  common  pine  plank,  whereas  she  should 
have  been  ceiled  throughout  with  seven  inch  oak  timber, 
6* 


66  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

champered  down  to  the  edges.'  We  then  returned  to  the 
deck,  and  went  to  the  after  cabin,  where  they  proceeded  to 
open  the  scuttle,  and  I  returned  to  the  wheel-house.  I  now 
ordered  the  mates  to  set  the  crew  to  baihng  from  the  engine- 
room.  The  passengers  now  scuttled  the  after  cabin  floor, 
and  commenced  taking  out  the  coal  for  the  purpose  of  bail- 
ing, as  they  had  previously  found  water  aft.  At  this  time 
the  water  was  gaining  on  the  pumps  ;  some  of  the  pas- 
sengers and  waiters  went  on  to  bailing  from  the  after  cabin. 
The  water,  in  front  of  the  furnaces,  having  risen  several 
inches  in  depth,  washed  the  coals  about,  by  the  rolling  of 
the  vessel,  rendering  it  impracticable  to  feed  the  fires  with 
coal.  I  therefore  directed  the  mate  to  have  wood  passed 
along,  as  we  would  keep  steam  up  altcJgether  with  wood, 
which  we  continued  to  burn  until  tlie  water  quenched  the 
fires  in  the  furnaces.  About  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  Captain 
Salter  again  came  to  the  forward  deck,  and  said,  '  Captain 
White,  we  had  better  go  around  Hatteras  Shoals,  and  not 
attempt  to  go  through  inside.' 

"  Whilst  the  passengers  and  crew  were  at  work  with  the 
pumps  and  buckets,  I  frequently  went  down  to  see  that  they 
continued  at  work.  In  passing  the  engine-room  I  remarked 
to  Mr.  Hunt,  '  If  we  can  keep  the  water  down,  so  as  not  to 
reach  the  furnaces,  I  think  we  will  go  round  the  shoals ;  as 
the  risk  would  be  greater  in  going  inside.'  My  reason  for 
this  conclusion  was,  that  if,  in  an  attempt  to  pass  inside, 
with  such  a  heavy  sea  and  thick  weather,  the  vessel  should 
strike,  probably  every  life  would  be  lost.  I  again  went  up 
to  the  wheel-house,  and  Mr.  Matthews  asked  me,  '  if  I  was 
going  round  the  shoals.'  I  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
Captain  Salter  now  came  forward  and  said,  '  it  was  the  best 
way  to  track  the  shoals  around  by  the  lead.'  We  had  all 
along  been  occasionally  Heaving  the  lead,  and  had  from  nine 
to  eleven  fathoms  water.  I  continued  to  run  so  as  to  pass 
the  outer  shoal,  until  I  deepened  the  water  from  eleven  to 
twenty  fathoms,  and  hauling  up  her  course  gradually  to  the 
south-west,  until  we  judged  ourselves  round  the  shoals  ;  then 
hauled  up  by  degrees  until  we  brought  her  up  to  a  north- 
north-west  course,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  under  the  lee 
of  the  shoals,  believing  that,  as  we  got  into  smooth  water, 
the  leak  would  decrease,  and  that  we  should  be  enabled  to 


THE    VESSEL    BECOMES    WATER-LOGGED.  67 

run  up  under  the  lee  of  Cape  Hatteras.  The  leak  con- 
tinued to  gain  upon  us,  and  I  soon  after  altered  our  course 
to  north-west,  and  ordered  the  jib  to  be  set.  After  heading 
her  for  the  land,  at  the  solicitation  of  Mr.  Matthews,  I  left 
him  in  charge,  and  went  to  my  room  to  get  some  rest.  I 
examined  one  of  my  charts,  threw  off  my  wet  coat,  sat 
down  on  my  trunk,  and  leaned  my  head  against  the  berth ; 
but  after  remaining  some  time,  found  it  impossible  to  get 
any  rest.  I  went  on  deck  and  proceeded  aft,  where  I  found 
the  water  was  fast  gaining  on  us.  I  then  went  to  the  wheel- 
house  and  took  my  trumpet ;  the  crew  and  passengers  being 
still  occupied  in  bailing  and  pumping,  and  the  engine-pumps 
workino;,  althousfh  these  often  had  to  be  cleared  of  the 
shavings,  &c.,  which  the  suction  drew  in  ;  but  we  had  to 
depend  mostly  upon  the  hand-pumps  and  barling.  About 
eight  o'clock,  P.  M.,  Mr.  Hunt  came  to  me  at  the  wheel- 
house,  and  told  me  that  the  '  furnace  fires  were  out.' 

"All  hope  was  now  abandoned  of  making  a  harbor  under 
the  lee  of  Hatteras  ;  and  our  only  alternative  was  to  run 
her  on  shore,  for  the  purpose  of  saving  our  lives.  I  then 
directed  the  mate  to  have  the  square-sail  set,  to  press  her 
in  to  the  land.  In  a  few  minutes  the  lee  leach  of  the 
square-sail  split  from  foot  to  head,  and  it  was  lowered 
down.  The  vessel  being  water-logged,  we  consequently 
made  but  slow  progress  towards  the  shore.  The  weather 
became  more  moderate.  Shortly  after,  I  went  below  to  my 
room  and  put  on  my  pea  jacket ;  went  aft,  and  saw  them 
bailing  and  pumping.  Whilst  passing  among  the  passen- 
gers, some  of  them  asked  me  if  there  was  a  probability  of 
their  being  saved.  I  replied,  that  I  feared  the  chance  was 
but  small ;  as  the  boats  would  be  of  no  service,  and  that 
there  must  be  a  heavy  surf  running  on  the  beach  which  we 
were  approaching.  I  then  walked  to  the  after  starboard 
quarter-deck,  and  hove  the  lead,  and  found  nine  fathoms 
water ;  I  laid  the  lead  in,  and  remained  by  the  rail,  thinking 
of  our  condition,  and  calculating  our  chances  for  our  lives. 
I  now  went  forward,  and  in  passing  the  dining-room  (which 
was  on  deck  and  over  the  after  cabin)  door,  saw  the  ladies 
and  many  of  the  gentlemen  sitting  in  there,  and  in  great 
distress  and  anxiety.  This  was  the  last  time  I  went  aft  on 
the  lower  deck.     I  then  passed  on  by  the  entrance  to  the 


68  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

after  cabin  ;  I  found  the  stairway  completely  occupied  with 
men  in  passing  up  water.  I  then  passed  forward,  and  went 
up  to  the  wheel-house :  by  this  time  we  were  not  far  from 
the  shore. 

"About  ten  o'clock  Mr.  Matthews,  then  standing  on  the 
lower  deck,  asked  me  if  I  meant  to  put  her  head  on ;  I 
answered,  '  Yes,  certainly.'  Some  one  now  ran  forward, 
and  called  out  that  the  water  was  over  the  cabin  floor. 
Captain  Salter  cried  out,  '  Bail  away,  bail  away,  boys.' 
Captain  Salter  also  asked  Mr,  Matthews  if  the  boats  were 
all  clear,  that  they  might  be  all  lowered  away  without  con- 
fusion, after  she  struck.  Mr.  Matthews  said,  '  The  boats 
are  all  ready.'  We  now  made  the  breakers  on  the  star- 
board bow  and  ahead.  Mr.  Matthews  was  standing  for- 
ward, and  said,  '  Off  the  starboard  bow  it  looks  like  a  good 
place  to  beach  her.'  I  ordered  Trost,  the  man  at  the  helm, 
to  port  his  helm;  and  said  to  him,  'Mind  yourself;  stand 
clear  of  that  wheel  when  she  strikes,  or  she  will  be  breaking 
your  bones  ; '  he  answered,  '  Yes,  sir,  Fll  keep  clear.' 

"The boat  immediately  struck  on  the  outer  reef^  slued  her 
Iiead  to  the  northward;  the  square-sail  caught  aback;  she 
heeled  offshore,  exposing  the  deck  and  upper  houses  to  the 
full  force  of  the  sea.  The  square-sail  halyards  were  let  go, 
but  the  sail  would  not  come  down,  as  it  was  hard  aback 
against  the  mast  and  rigging ;  it  had  previously  been  split, 
and  was  now  blown  to  ribbons.  The  passengers,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  placed  themselves  along  the  in-shore  side  of  the 
boat,  seeking  protection  from  the  breaking  of  the  sea.  At 
this  time  Mr.  Matthew^s  came  up  to  me,  on  the  upper  deck, 
and  asked  me  if  I  was  going  in  the  boats  ;  I  replied,  '  No  ; 
I  think  there  is  no  possibility  of  any  person  being  saved  in 
them,  but  you  had  better  go  aft  and  see  to  the  launching 
them.'  He  went  aft  on  the  upper  deck,  and  I  saw  them 
launching  the  large  boat  off  of  it.  The  larboard  quarter 
boat  having  been  lowered  before  and  upset,  they  succeeded 
in  getting  the  large  boat  alongside  ;  many  of  the  passengers, 
and  both  mates,  got  into  her,  several  others  clinging  to  her 
gunwales ;  she  upset  before  she  had  gone  ten  yards  from 
the  vessel.  The  starboard  quarter-boat  had  been  previously 
stove,  as  well  as  the  houses  and  bulwarks  on  that  side.  I 
went  forward,  pulled  off  my  pea  jacket,  vest,  and  boots,  and 


THE    BREAKING    UP    OF    THE    VESSEL.  69 

threw  them  into  the  door  of  the  wheel-house ;  then  went  a 
few  feet  aft,  unshipped  a  small  ladder,  found  a  strand  of 
rope  lying  on  the  deck,  made  one  end  of  it  fast  around  the 
middle  step,  took  the  other  end  around  my  hand,  then 
placed  myself  on  the  forward  part  of. the  upper  deck,  took 
hold  of  a  chimney-brace  with  the  other  hand,  awaiting  the 
event  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  vessel. 

"About  the  time  I  went  aft,  as  above  stated,  the  mast  had 
gone  about  twenty  feet  from  the  head.  The  boat  was  now 
fast  breaking  to  pieces  —  the  dining-cabin  gone  —  the  star- 
board state-rooms  all  stove  in  —  upper  deck  breaking  up. 
Whilst  standing  with  the  ladder  in  my  hand,  Mr.  Hunt 
came  up  to  me.  I  said,  '  Mr.  Hunt,  we  little  thought  this 
would  be  our  fate  when  we  left  New  York.'  I  shook 
hands  with  him,  and  added,  '  I  hope  we  may  all  be  saved.' 
He  turned  and  went  to  the  gallows  frame,  where  there  were 
many  others  collected  with  him.  The  forward  smoke  chim- 
ney fell  in  shore,  across  the  side  houses  on  the  upper  deck, 
close  by  where  I  was  standing.  Mr.  Flolmes,  a  passenger 
saved,  was  standing  by  me  with  a  piece  of  board  and  rope, 
prepared  to  jump.  The  most  of  the  passengers,  who  had 
placed  themselves  along  the  guards,  had,  by  this  time,  been 
washed  off;  their  shrieks  and  cries,  during  this  time,  were 
appalling  and  heart-rending  beyond  description.  The 
deck,  on  which  Mr.  Holmes  and  myself  were  standing,  was 
breaking  up ;  we  threw  away  our  ladder  and  board  simul- 
taneously, and  jumped  off  the  deck,  and  made  for  the  top- 
gallant forecastle,  which  appeared  to  be  our  best  place  for 
safety.  In  running  forward  I  stepped  into  the  fore-hatch, 
which  was  open,  and  fell  in,  but  caught  by  the  remnants  of 
the  sail  which  were  hanging  down  the  hatch,  and  which 
saved  me  from  falling  quite  down.  I  got  up,  by  the  aid  of 
the  sail,  on  to  the  deck,  and  made  for  the  forecastle,  which  I 
gained,  where  I  found  a  number  of  persons  had  already 
placed  themselves. 

"  The  first  one  whom  I  recognized,  or  heard,  was  Captain 
Salter,  who  said,  '  Captain  White,  my  dear  fellow,  I  am 
glad  to  see  you  here.'  I  was  at  this  time  holding  on  the 
forestay,  which  lay  across  the  forecastle  ;  and  he  further  said, 
'  Come  forward  here ;  take  the  other  end  of  this  rope  ;  it  is 
long  enough  for  both  of  us.'     I  went  and  took  the   rope  ; 


70  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

he  then  added,  '  I  picked  out  this  place  for  myself,  long 
before  the  boat  went  ashore.'  I  lashed  myself  to  the  next 
stanchion :  this  deck  now  began  to  work  loose  from  the 
main  part  of  the  boat ;  the  deck  settling,  the  starboard  bow 
heaving  up.  I  remarked,  *  I  don't  like  this  being  tied  fast 
to  stanchions ;  for  if  the  bow  falls  over  on  to  us,  we  have 
no  means  to  clear  us  from  being  crushed  by  it.'  I  pro- 
posed casting  ourselves  loose  from  the  stanchions ;  we  did 
so  ;  and  then  I  took  a  piece  of  small  rope,  passed  it  round 
a  small  cleat,  and  held  one  end  in  my  hand.  At  this  time 
Captain  Salter  was  washed  off  from  the  forecastle,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  regaining  it,  and  was  a  second  time  washed  off, 
when  one  of  the  men,  named  Jackson,  caught  him  and 
assisted  him  to  get  on  the  forecastle.  I  then  handed  the 
other  end  of  the  rope,  which  I  had  fastened  to  the  cleat,  to 
Salter.  The  sea  which  had  washed  Salter  off  broke  ofT 
the  stanchions  to  which  we  had  first  been  lashed.  All  this 
time  a  Mr.  Lovegreen  was  on  the  gallows  frame,  tolling 
the  bell. 

^'  The  forecastle  deck  now  broke  loose  and  floated  towards 
tlve  shore,  v*^ith  the  six  persons  besides  myself.  Very  soon 
one  man  jumped  off  and  gained  the  beach ;  w^e  all  followed. 
I  washed  ashore  with  only  shirt,  pantaloons,  stockings,  and 
hat.  We  proceeded  along  the  beach  towards  the  light.  We 
soon  found  another  survivor ;  afterwards  we  met  Mr.  Love- 
green.  We  continued  our  steps  towards  the  lighthouse; 
tiext  found  Captain  Hill,  apparently  very  much  exhausted ; 
asked  for  assistance  to  help  him  along,  as  he  could  not  pro- 
ceed without.  Finding  the  lighthouse  at  a  greater  distance 
than  was  at  first  believed,  I  persuaded  one  of  the  crew  to 
remain  with  me  to  go  along  the  surf,  in  order  to  give  assist- 
ance to  those  who  might  be  washed  ashore  ;  whilst  the  other 
above-mentioned  persons  continued  their  course  to  the  light- 
house." 

We  have  now  given  Captain  White's  minute  detail  of  his 
proceedings  on  board  of  this  ill-fated  bark,  from  his  first 
leaving  the  wharf,  at  New  York,  until  he  reached  the  shore 
of  Ocracoke  Island  in  safety. 

We  will  now  relate  the  sufferings,  escape,  and  heart-rend- 
ing reminiscences  of  other  individuals,  who  survived  this 
appalling  event.  From  Mr.  B.  B.  Hussey  we  have  the  fol- 
lowing particulars :  — 


THE    BOATS    CAPSIZED.  71 

"  As  every  particular  is  a  matter  of  interest, — especially  to 
those  who  had  friends  and  relatives  on  board,  —  it  may  not 
be  improper  to  state,  that  one  individual  urged  the  propriety 
of  lowering  the  small  boats,  and  putting  the  ladies  and  chil- 
dren into  them  for  safety,  with  suitable  persons  to  manage 
them,  before  we  struck  the  breakers.  By  this  arrangement, 
had  it  been  effected,  it  is  believed  that  the  boats  might  have 
rode  out  the  gale  during  the  night,  and  have  been  rescued 
in  the  morning  by  passing  vessels,  and  thus  all,  or  nearly  all, 
have  been  saved.  But  few  supported  this  proposition,  and 
it  could  not  be  done  without  the  prompt  interference  of 
those  who  had  authority  to  command,  and  who  would  be 
obeyed. 

"  Immediately  before  we  struck,  one  or  two  passengers,  by 
the  aid  of  some  of  the  seamen,  attempted  to  seek  safety  in 
one  of  the  boats  at  the  quarter,  when  a  breaker  struck  it, 
swept  it  from  the  davits,  and  carried  with  it  a  seaman,  who 
was  instantly  lost.  A  similar  attempt  was  made  to  launch 
the  long-boat  from  the  upper  deck,  by  the  chief  mate,  Mr. 
Matthews,  and  others.  It  was  filled  with  several  pas- 
sengers, and  some  of  the  crew ;  but,  as  we  were  already 
within  the  verge  of  the  breakers,  this  boat  shared  the  fate 
of  the  other,  and  all  on  board  (about  ten  in  number)  per- 
ished. 

"Now  commenced  the  most  heart-rending  scene.  Wives 
clinging  to  husbands,  —  children  to  parents, — and  women, 
who  were  without  protectors,  seeking  aid  from  the  arm  of 
the  stranger ;  all  awaiting  the  results  of  a  moment  which 
would  bring  with  it  either  life  or  death.  Though  an  in- 
tense feehng  of  anxiety  must,  at  this  time,  have  filled  every 
breast,  yet  not  a  shriek  was  heard,  nor  was  there  any  extra- 
ordinary exclamation  of  excitement  or  alarm.  A  slight  agi- 
tation was,  however,  apparent  in  the  general  circle.  Some 
few  hurried  from  one  part  of  the  boat  to  another,  as  if  seek- 
ing a  place  of  greater  safety ;  yet  most,  and  particularly 
those  who  had  the  melancholy  charge  of  wives  and  children, 
remained  quiet  and  calm  observers  of  the  scene  before 
them. 

"  The  boat  at  length  strikes,  —  it  stops  —  as  motionless  as 
a  bar  of  lead.  A  momentary  pause  follows, — as  if  the 
angel  of  death  shrunk  from  so  dreadful  a  work  of  slaughter. 


72  >     THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOBIE. 

But  soon  the  work  of  destruction  commenced.  A  breaker, 
with  a  deafening  crash,  swept  over  the  boat,  carrying  its 
unfortunate  victims  into  the  deep.  At  the  same  time,  a 
simuhaneous  rush  was  made  towards  the  bows  of  the  boat. 
The  forward  deck  was  covered.  Another  breaker  came, 
with  irresistible  force,  and  all  within  its  sweep  disappeared. 
Our  numbers  were  now  frightfully  reduced.  The  roaring 
of  the  waters,  together  with  the  dreadful  crash  of  breaking 
timbers,  surpasses  the  power  of  description.  Some  of  the 
remaining  passengers  sought  shelter  from  the  encroaching 
dangers,  by  retreating  to  the  passage,  on  the  lee  side  of  the 
boat,  that  leads  from  the  after  to  the  forward  deck,  as  if  to 
be  as  far  as  possible  from  the  grasp  of  death.  It  may  not 
be  improper  here  to  remark,  that  the  destruction  of  the 
boat,  and  loss  of  life,  was,  doubtless,  much  more  rapid  than 
it  otherwise  would  have  been,  from  the  circumstance  of 
the  boat  heeling  to  windward,  and  the  deck,  which  was 
nearly  level  with  the  water,  forming,  in  consequence,  an 
inclined  plane,  upon  which  the  waves  broke  with  their  full 
force. 

"A  large  proportion  of  those  who  rushed  into  this  passage 
were  ladies  and  children,  with  a  few  gentlemen  who  had 
charge  of  them.  The  crowd  was  so  dense,  that  many  were 
in  danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  irresistible  pressure. 
Here  were,  perhaps,  some  of  the  most  painful  sights  beheld. 
Before  introducing  any  of  the  closing  scenes  of  individuals, 
which  the  writer  witnessed,  or  which  he  has  gathered  from 
his  fellow-passengers,  he  would  beg  to  be  understood,  that 
it  is  not  for  the  gratification  of  the  idle  curiosity  of  the  care- 
less and  indifferent  reader,  or  to  pierce  afresh  the  bleeding 
wounds  of  surviving  friends,  but  to  furnish  such  facts  as  may 
be  interesting,  and  which,  perhaps,  might  never  be  obtained 
through  any  other  channel. 

"As  the  immediate  connections  of  the  writer  are  already 
informed  of  the  particulars  relating  to  his  own  unhappy  be- 
reavement, there  is  no  necessity  for  entering  into  a  minute 
detail  of  this  melancholy  events 

"  This  passage  contained  perhaps  thirty  or  more  persons, 
consisting  of  men,  women,  and  children,  with  no  apparent 
possibility  of  escape ;  enclosed  within  a  narrow  aperture, 
over  which  was  the  deck,  and  both  ends  of  which  wei-e 


I 


AFFECTING    SITUATION    OF     A    FAMILY.  x     75 

completely  closed  by  the  fragments  of  the  boat  and  the 
rushing  of  the  waves.  While  thus  shut  up,  death  appeared 
inevitable.  Already  were  both  decks  swept  of  every  thing 
that  was  on  them.  The  dining-cabin  was  entirely  gone, 
and  every  thing  belonging  to  the  quarter-deck  was  com- 
pletely stripped  off,  leaving  not  even  a  stanchion  or  particle 
of  the  bulwarks ;  and  all  this  was  the  work  of  about  five 
minutes. 

"  The  starboard  wheel-house,  and  every  thing  about  it,  was 
soon  entirely  demolished.  As  nmch  of  the  ceiling  forward 
of  the  starboard  wheel  had,  during  the  day,  fallen  from  its 
place,  the  waves  soon  found  their  way  through  all  that 
remained  to  oppose  them,  and  were  in  a  few  minutes'  time 
forcing  into  the  last  retreat  of  those  who  had  taken  shelter 
in  the  passage  already  nr^entioned. 

*•'  Every  wave  made  a  frightful  encroachment  on  our  narrow 
limits,  and  seemed  to  threaten  us  with  immediate  death. 
Hopeless  as  was  the  condition  of  those  thus  hemmed  in, 
yet  not  a  shriek  was  heard  from  them.  One  lady,  unknown 
to  the  WTiter,  begged  earnestly  for  some  one  to  save  her.  In 
a  time  of  such  alarm,  it  is  not  strange  that  a  helpless  female 
should  plead  with  earnestness  for  assistance  from  those  who 
were  about  her,  or  even  offer  them  money  for  that  aid  which 
the  least  reflection  would  have  convinced  her  it  was  not 
possible  to  render.  Another  scene,  witnessed  at  this  trying 
hour,  was  still  more  painful.  A  little  boy  (supposed  to  be 
the  son  of  Hardy  B.  Croom,  of  Newbern,  N.  C.)  was  plead- 
ing with  his  father  to  save  him.  'Father,'  said  the  boy, 
'you  will  save  me,  won't  you?  You  can  swim  ashore  with 
me  ;  can't  you,  father  ? '  But  the  unhappy  father  was  too 
deeply  absorbed  in  the  other  charges  that  rested  upon  him, 
even  to  notice  the  imploring  accents  of  his  helpless  child. 
For  at  that  time,  as  near  as  the  writer  could  judge,  from 
the  darkness  of  the  place  they  were  in,  his  wife  hung  upon 
one  arm,  and  his  daughter  of  seventeen  upon  the  other. 
He  had  one  daughter  besides,  near  the  age  of  this  little 
boy,  but  whether  she  was  at  that  time  living  or  not  is  un- 
certain. 

"  After  remaining  here  some  minutes,  the  deck  overhead 
was  split  open  by  the  violence  of  the  waves,  which  allowed 
the  writer  an  opportunity  of  climbing  out.     This  he  instantly 


76  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

did,  and  assisted  his  wife  through  the  same  opening.  As  he 
had  now  left  those  below,  he  is  unable  to  say  how  they  were 
finally  lost,  but  as  that  part  of  the  boat  was  very  soon  com- 
pletely destroyed,  their  further  sufferings  could  not  have 
been  much  prolonged.  We  were  now  in  a  situation  which, 
from  the  time  the  boat  struck,  we  had  considered  as  the  most 
safe,  and  had  endeavored  to  attain.  Here  we  resolved  to 
await  our  uncertain  fate.  From  this  place  we  could  see  the 
encroachment  of  the  devouring  waves,  every  one  of  which 
reduced  our  thinned  numbers,  and  swept  with  it  parts  of  our 
crumbling  boat. 

"  For  several  hours  previous,  the  gale  had  been  sensibly 
abating ;  and,  for  a  moment,  the  pale  moon  broke  through 
the  dispersing  clouds,  as  if  to  witness  this  scene  of  terror 
and  destruction,  and  to  show  to  the  horror-stricken  victims 
the  fate  that  awaited  them.  How  few  were  now  left  of  the 
many  who,  but  a  little  before,  inhabited  our  bark  !  While 
the  moon  yet  shone,  three  men  were  seen  to  rush  from  the 
middle  to  the  stern  of  the  boat.  A  wave  came  rushing  on. 
It  passed  over  the  deck.  One  only,  of  the  three,  was  left. 
He  attempted  to  regain  his  former  position.  Another  wave 
came.  He  had  barely  time  to  reach  a  large  timber,  to  which 
he  clung,  when  this  wave  struck  him,  — and  he  too  was  miss- 
ing. As  the  wave  passed  away,  the  heads  of  two  of  these 
men  were  seen  above  the  water  ;  but  they  appeared  to  make 
no  eifort  to  swim.  The  probability  is,  that  the  violence  with 
which  they  were  hurled  into  the  sea  disabled  them.  They 
sunk  —  to  rise  no  more. 

"  During  this  time,  Mr.  Lovegreen,  of  Charleston,  con- 
tinued to  ring  the  boat's  bell,  which  added,  if  possible,  to 
the  gloom.  It  sounded,  indeed,  like  the  funeral  knell  over 
the  departed  dead.  Never  before,  perhaps,  was  a  bell  tolled 
at  such  a  funeral  as  this.  While  hi  this  situation,  and  re- 
flecting on  the  necessity  of  being  always  prepared  for  the 
realities  of  eternity,  our  attention  was  arrested  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  lady,  climbing  up  on  the  outside  of  the  boat, 
abaft  the  wheel,  near  where  we  were.  Her  head  was  barely 
above  the  deck,  on  which  we  stood,  and  she  was  holding  to 
it  in  a  most  perilous  manner.  She  implored  help  ;  without 
which  she  must  soon  have  fallen  into  the  deep  beneath,  and 
shared  the  fate  of  the  many  who  had  already  gone.     The 


THE    MOTHER    AND    CHILD.  77 

writer  ran  to  her  aid,  but  was  unable  to  raise  her  to  the 
deck.  Mr.  Woodburn,  of  New  York,  now  came,  and, 
with  his  assistance,  the  lady  was  rescued :  she  was  then 
lashed  to  a  large  piece  of  timber,  by  the  side  of  another 
lady,  —  the  only  remaining  place  that  afforded  any  prospect 
of  safety.  The  former  lady  (Mrs.  Shroeder)  was  washed 
ashore,  on  this  piece  of  the  wreck,  —  one  of  the  two  who 
survived.  The  writer,  having  relinquished  to  this  lady  the 
place  he  had  occupied,  was  compelled  to  get  upon  a  large 
piece  of  the  boat,  that  lay  near,  under  the  lee  of  the  wheel ; 
this  was  almost  immediately  driven  from  its  place  into  the 
breakers,  which  instantly  swept  him  from  it,  and  plunged 
him  deep  into  the  water.  With  some  difficulty  he  regained 
his  raft.  He  continued  to  chng  to  this  fragment,  as  well  as 
he  could  ;  but  was  repeatedly  washed  from  it.  Sometimes, 
when  plunged  deep  into  the  water,  he  came  up  under  it. 
After  encountering  all  the  difficulties  that  seemed  possible 
to  be  borne,  he  was,  at  length,  thrown  on  shore,  in  an  ex- 
hausted state.  At  the  time  the  writer  was  driven  from  the 
boat,  there  were  but  few  left.  Of  these,  four  survived,  viz., 
Mrs.  Shroeder  and  Mr.  Lovegreen,  of  Charleston,  Mr. 
Cohen,  of  Columbia,  and  Mr.  Vanderzee,  of  New  York." 

One  mother  sustained  the  noble  character  which,  in  all 
ages,  has  distinguished  maternal  affection.  Her  infant  was 
in  her  arms,  pressed  close  to  her  bosom,  as  if  the  whisper- 
ings of  hope  inspired  the  devoted  woman  with  a  behef  that 
the  feeble  protection  of  a  mother's  love  would  shield  her 
child  from  the  conflict  of  warring  elements.  But  for  a  mo- 
ment did  this  dream  of  hope  last ;  a  wave  wrested  the  infant 
from  her  grasp,  and  plunged  it  into  the  foaming  waters  !  A 
convulsive  shriek  proclaimed  the  agony  of  the  bereaved 
mother,  and  ere  the  relentless  surge  had  hidden  her  lost  one 
forever,  she  sprang  amongst  the  breakers  and  perished ! 
Who  does  not  almost  envy  the  fate  of  such  a  woman, 
dreadful  though  it  seem  ?  Who  would  not  wish  to  enter 
the  presence  of  Almighty  God  as  she  did,  a  voluntary  sacri- 
fice to  the  first  of  natural  duties  ?  — ^a  duty  deeply  implanted 
in  the  human  breast,  for  the  wise  purposes  of  Heaven. 

"  On  reaching  the  beach,  there  was  no  appearance  of  in- 
habitants ;  but,  after  wandering  some  distance,  a  light  was 
discovered,  which  proved  to  be  from  Ocracoke  lighthouse, 
7# 


78  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 


Affecting  Instance  of  Mateinal  Affection.     (See  page  77.) 

about  six  miles  south-west  of  the  place  where  the  boat  was 
wrecked.  The  inhabitants  of  the  island,  generally,  treated 
us  with  great  kindness ;  and,  so  far  as  their  circumstances 
would  allow,  assisted  in  properly  disposing  of  the  numerous 
bodies  thrown  upon  the  shore." 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowles  arrived  in  New  York,  September 
2'2d,  intending  to  pass  the  winter  with  a  brother  and  sister 
in  Augusta,  Georgia.  They  were  long  doubtful  what  means 
of  conveyance  to  choose.  They  had  a  most  decided  aver- 
sion to  a  passage  in  the  steamboat.  Indeed,  such  had  always 
been  their  strong  and  invincible  dread,  of  the  sea,  that  they 
would  have  chosen  to  journey  the  whole  distance  by  land, 
if  it  had  not  been  thought  unsafe  to  travel  so  early  in  the 
season  through  tlie  low  countries  of  the  South.  During 
their  visit  to  that  city,  the  Home  completed  her  second  trip 
from  Charleston ;  the  first  in  sixty-two,  the  last  in  sixty-four, 
hours.  The  speed,  comfort,  and  safety  of  this  boat  were  so 
highly  extolled,  that  both  were  led  to  think  more  seriously 


MR.    AND    MRS.    COWLES.  7^ 

of  taking  passage  on  her  return  ;  and,  after  a  personal  in- 
spection of  her  accommodations,  and  learning  that,  on  pre- 
vious passages,  she  had  taken  the  inner  channel,  thus  avoid- 
ing Cape  Hatteras  altogether,  their  berths  were  secured. 

"  On  Saturday  afternoon,  Oct.  7th,  they  were  accompanied 
to  the  boat,  in  more  than  ordinary  health  and  spirits,  except- 
ing some  natural  tears  on  leaving  home  and  friends,  and  (in 
the  case  of  one,  there  can  be  no  doubt)  because  of  her  in- 
stinctke  and  unparalleled  fear  when  upon  the  water. 

"  For  several  successive  days,  the  weather  was  remarkably 
fine  in  that  city ;  many  who  had  friends  on  board  the  Home 
watched  it  day  and  night ;  and  on  rising,  Tuesday  morning, 
congratulated  themselves  and  the  voyagers  on  account  of 
their  safe  arrival  at  Charleston. 

"  How  great  was  the  shock,  when,  on  the  subsequent  Tues- 
day, the  awful  tidings  arrived,  that  the  Home  had  foundered 
at  sea,  and  the  large  majority  of  passengers,  including  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cowles,  were  in  eternity  ! 

*'  It  was  the  first  impulse  of  all,  on  recovering  sufficient 
composure,  to  converse  with  the  survivors,  and  obtain  from 
them,  if  possible,  more  definite  information  concerning  their 
particular  friends  and  relatives.  The  first  and  only  indi- 
vidual who  was  able  to  make  any  report  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C,  was  Mr.  Jabez  Holmes,  an  amiable  and  pious  young 
gentleman  of  the  house  of  Cornelius  Baker  &  Co.  He  had 
no  personal  acquaintance  with  either.  He  knew  them  not 
by  name.  But  when  told  that  Mr.  C.  was  a  clergyman,  he 
identified  him  at  once,  describing  his  dress  and  that  of  his 
wife  so  accurately,  as  to  preclude  all  possibility  of  his  being 
"mistaken.  He  had  considerable  conversation  with  both 
during  the  fatal  storm  ;  and  his  recollections  of  them  were 
the  more  distinct,  because  of  the  very  remarkable  composure 
which  they  exhibited  ;  which  word,  added  the  same  gentle- 
man, failed  to  express  all  their  countenances  indicated.  It 
was  something  more  than  composure  —  it  was  happiness, 
when  they  spoke  of  their  confidence  in  God  ! 

"  The  characteristic  and  precious  remark  made  by  Mr.  C, 
as  overheard  by  Mr.  H.,  He  that  trusts  in  Jesus,  &c.,  was 
enough  to  remove  all  those  terrific  images  of  distress,  and 
paleness,  and  runnings  to  and  fro,  by  which  the  minds  of 
surviving  friends  were  before  agitated  by  day  and  night. 


80  THE    LOSS    OF    THE     STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

"  The  remark  of  Mr.  C,  referred  to  above,  was  addressed 
to  the  steward  and  clerk  of  the  boat,  to  see  whom  was 
judged  very  desirable,  as  he  was  observed  to  be  in  frequent 
conversation  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  up  to  a  late  hour. 

"  The  steward  of  the  Home  was  Mr.  David  B.  Milne,  the 
son  of  a  deceased  clergyman,  and  who  was  saved  in  a  man- 
ner almost  miraculous,  to  rejoice  a  pious  mother,  and  a  sister 
on  missionary  ground.  From  him  the  following  facts  were 
afterwards  obtained :  — 

*'  The  gale  commenced  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  continued 
to  increase  all  the  day.  At  night,  the  boat  labored  much, 
and  leaked  considerably,  but  not  enough  to  excite  appre- 
hensions of  danger.  On  Monday,  A.  M.,  there  was  no 
concealment  of  the  fact,  that  all  were  in  imminent  peril. 
The  general  expectation  was,  that  the  boat  would  sink  with 
all  on  board,  when  fifteen  miles  off  Cape  Hatteras.  Mr. 
C,  who,  during  two  years  of  feeble  health,  had  often  been 
told  by  physicians  that  he  must  die,  without  a  perceptible 
quickening  of  his  pulse,  or  one  distracting  fear  in  his  heart, 
^-and  his  wife,  who  had  often  stood  at  his  side  in  the  very 
presence  of  the  palhd  king,  —  were  now,  throughout  this 
day  of  awful  suspense,  to  exemplify  the  effects  of  their  pre- 
vious discipline,  when  suddenly  called  to  face  death  in  one 
of  its  most  terrific  forms. 

"  Mr.  Milne  states  that  he  has  a  more  distinct  recollection 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  than  of  any  other  passengers,  because 
of  the  religious  conversation  which  they  addressed  to  him. 
In  the  midst  of  the  perils  of  that  eventful  day,  Mr.  C,  who 
was  compelled  by  sickness  to  keep  his  berth,  requested  Mr. 
M.  to  read  aloud  certain  portions  of  Scripture,  among  which 
was  that  singularly  appropriate  and  sublime  passage,  the 
24th  chapter  of  Matthew  ;  and  then  (many  of  the  passen- 
gers gathering  round,  and  listening  with  profound  interest) 
commended  them  all  to  God  in  audible  prayer.  Never, 
says  Mr.  M.,  were  individuals  more  perfectly  composed 
than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Several  distinct  times,  Mr.  C.  gave 
vent  to  his  gratitude  on  account  of  the  calmness  and  peace 
of  his  wife,  who  he  expected  would  be  greatly  terrified. 
Both  expressed  a  great  degree  of  interest  for  the  welfare  of 
others.  To  one  individual,  the  direct  inquiry  was  proposed, 
in  the  kindest  manner  of  Christian  fidelity,  whether  he  was 


PIOUS    CONSOLATION. 


81 


a  Christian,  and  if  he  did  not  admit,  at  such  a  time,  that  it 
was  of  all  things  safe  and  important  to  have  God  for  a 
refuge.  Concerning  another,  who,  in  a  state  of  despera- 
tion, and  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating  liquors,  uttered 
some  horrible  imprecations,  Mr.  C.  remarked,  '  How  much 
better  would  it  be  for  that  man  to  be  in  prayer  for  his  soul, 
than  to  blaspheme  his  God  ! '  The  remark  was  afterwards 
communicated  to  the  individual  himself,  under  very  affect- 
ing circumstances.  He  survived  his  wife  on  that  dreadful 
night. 

"  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  it  was  evident 
that  the  boat  could  not  long  hold  together,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C, 
who  had  hitherto  declined  going  up,  on  the  plea  that  their 
doing  so  would  be  of  no  service,  were  summoned  to  the 
dining-cabin  on  the  main  deck.  Mr.  M.  himself  assisted 
Mrs.  C.  out  of  her  berth,  and  again  heard  her  declare,  when 
dressing  for  her  death,  her  joy  and  sense  of  security  in  con- 
fiding on  almighty  love.  To  him  the  remark  was  made  by 
Mr.  C,  '  He  that  trusts  in  Jesus  is  safe,  even  amid  the  perils 
of  the  seaJ 

"  At  -eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  nearing  the  shore, 
another  effort  was  made  to  lighten  the  boat  by  bailing ;  and, 
as  it  was  necessary  for  all  to  aid,  the  ladies,  and  among  them 
Mrs.  C,  formed  a  line  for  passing  the  empty  buckets,  in 
which  occupation  her  clieerful  appearance  was  observed  by 
many,  and  tended  not  a  little  to  inspire  others  with  hope. 
Mr.  C.  expressed  regret  that,  owing  to  his  great  feebleness, 
he  was  unable  to  afford  much  aid,  but,  seated  on  a  trunk, 
did  what  he  could,  in  passing  the  empty  pails.  Notwith- 
standing all  their  exertions,  the  leak  gained  very  rapidly  ; 
the  fire  under  the  boilers  had  long  ago  been  extinguished ; 
the  engines  were  useless ;  the  cabin  floor  was  deeply  flooded, 
and  all  further  effort  was  abandoned.  All  was  silence  ;  most 
were  providing  themselves  with  whatever  presented  the  least 
hope  of  safety.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  sat  together  in  calm  ex- 
pectation. At  ten  minutes  before  eleven,  the  boat  struck. 
The  moon  was  shrouded  by  thick  clouds,  but  it  was  not  so 
dark,  but  that  the  shore  could  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  Orders  were  immediately  given  for  all 
the  passengers  to  go  forward.  A  life-line  was  passed  from 
the  bow  aft,  to  which  they  were  advised  to  cling  in  a  sud- 


82  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

den  emergency.  Mr.  C.  was  seen  to  go  forward  witli  his 
arm  around  his  wife.  They  were  seen  no  more.  Probably 
the  first  breaker  which  struck  the  boat,  after  she  swung 
to  the  sea,  swept  them  together  to  their  watery  grave. 
'  Lovely  were  they  in  their  lives,  and  in  death  they  were 
not  divided.'  Who  can  doubt  that  it  would  have  been  the 
choice  of  both,  if  either  was  to  be  taken,  not  to  be  sepa- 
rated in  such  a  death  ?  Both  were  taken  to  their  home  and 
refuge  at  the  same  moment.  Blessed  be  God  for  all  those 
calm  supports  which  He  extended  to  them  in  prospect  of 
death.  —  elevating  the  one  above  the  reach  of  a  more  than 
ordinary  timidity,  and  thus  comforting  the  hearts  of  many 
on  sleepless  pillows,  when  the  dark  and  driving  storm  carries 
their  frio-hted  thouohts  to  the  sea. 

"  We  have  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  adding,  tliat  the 
body  of  Mrs.  C.  was  found  the  morning  after  the  fatal  dis- 
aster, carried  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  ¥/iliiam  Howard,  there 
shrouded  by  the  humane  hands  of  Mrs.  H.  and  other  ladies, 
—  whose  tender  and  feeling  conduct  deserves  the  highest 
praise  of  the  community,  as  it  has  evoked  the  blessing  of 
many  bleeding  hearts,  —  and  thence  removed  to  an  adjoin- 
ing place  of  sepulture,  and  decently  interred,  with  a  board, 
bearing  her  name,  to  mark  the  spot." 

"  The  survivors,  after  remaining  on  the  island  till  Thursday 
afternoon,  separated,  — some  returning  to  New  York,  others 
proceeding  on  to  Charleston.  Acknowledgment  is  due  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Washington,  Newborn,  and  Wilmington, 
as  well  as  of  other  places  through  which  we  passed,  for  the 
kind  hospitality  we  received,  and  the  generous  offers  made 
to  us.  Long  will  these  favors  be  gratefully  remembered  by 
the  survivors  of  the  unfortunate  Home." 

The  cause  of  this  terrible  disaster  was  the  unseaworthi- 
ness of  the  vessel.  However  well  she  might  have  performed 
her  accustomed  trips  on  a  calm  river,  she  never  should  have 
ventured  outside  of  Sandy  Hook  ;  being  totally  unfit  for 
ocean  navigation,  so  unfaithfully  was  she  built.  A  gentle- 
man who  was  on  board  of  the  Home  in  September,  during 
a  conversation  with  Mr.  Hunt,  the  chief  engineer,  no- 
ticing the  peculiar  form  of  the  deck,  which  was  serpentine, 
drooping  very  much  at  the  bows  and  stern,  asked  what  was 
her  original  shape.     Hunt  said  she  was  originally  straight, 


UNSEAWORTHINESS    OF    THE    BOAT.  83 

but  said  that  in  her  first  trip  they  had  put  a  large  quantity 
of  ballast  too  far  forward,  and  under  her  forward  cabin  floor, 
and  that  in  consequence  two  of  her  fore  and  aft  stay-rods 
had  broken  before  she  arrived  in  Charleston,  and  that  in  con- 
sequence the  boat  had  strained  and  dropped  at  the  bows. 
He  also  said  that  after  they  had  taken  the  ballast  out,  and 
repaired  the  stay-rods,  the  boat  had  come  back  considerably 
to  her  place. 

As  the  gale  increased,  the  awful  and  portentous  insuffi- 
ciency of  the  frail  bark  began  to  be  developed.  The  hull 
bent  and  twisted,  when  struck  by  a  sea,  as  if  the  next  would 
rend  it  asunder;  the  panels  of  the  ceiling  were  dropping 
from  their  places ;  and  the  hull,  as  if  united  by  hinges,  was 
bendinor  ao^ainst  the  feet  of  the  braces.  After  she  struck, 
her  destruction  was  as  rapid  as  that  of  the  unfortunate  crew. 
She  went  to  pieces  in  less  than  an  hour ;  and  all  agree  that 
the  speed  of  her  dissolution  indicated  a  weakness  and  rot- 
tenness of  constitution  entirely  unfit  for  the  service  on  which 
she  had  been  sent. 

In  this  case  we  see  and  feel  how  many  human  beings 
were  led  to  destruction,  by  the  criminal  neglect  of  those 
who  had  assumed  the  responsibility,  and  therefore  lay  under 
the  most  imperative  obligations  to  protect  their  lives  by  all 
the  means  which  hurnan  prudence  could  provide.  On  the 
contrary,  it  appears  that  a  reckless  indifference  to  these 
responsibilities,  and  a  total  disregard  of  the  solemn  trusts 
they  had  assumed,  did  characterize  the  conduct  of  the  own- 
ers of  this  ill-fated  vessel.  It  matters  little  whether  they 
did  or  did  not  Jcnow  that  they  were  inviting  their  fellow- 
creatures  to  their  destruction.  It  is  plain  that  the  owners 
ought  to  have  Jcnown  it,  and  that  their  ignorance,  if  it  did 
exist,  was  owing  to  a  gross  and  palpable  neglect  of  duty, 
amounting  to  a  high  crime  against  morality  and  humanity. 

LIST  OF  FASSENGERS. 

Passengers  lost.  —  Madame  Boudo,  Madame  Reviere, 
Mrs.  Hussey,  Mrs.  Levy,  Miss  F.  Levy,  Miss  O.  Levy, 
Mrs.  Flinn  and  two  children,  Hardy  B.  Croom  and  lady, 
Miss  Croom.  Miss  J.  Croom,  Master  Croom,  Mrs.  Camack, 
Mr.  P.  S.  Cohen,  Mr.  H.  A.  Cohrs,  Mr.  S.  G.  Fuller,  Mr. 


84  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAM-PACKET    HOME. 

H.  M.  Tileston,  Mr.  C.  Williman,  of  Charleston,  S.  G. 
Rev.  G.  Cowles  and  lady,  of  Augusta,  Geo.  Prof.  Nott 
and  lady,  of  Columbia,  S.  C.  Mr.  Desaybe,  lady,  and 
servant.  Mr.  Broquet,  lady,  child,  and  servant.  Mr.  O. 
H.  Prince  and  lady,  of  Athens,  Geo.  Mrs.  Hill,  of  New 
Hampshire.  Mrs.  Whiting.  Mrs.  Boyd.  Mrs.  Faugh. 
Mrs.  Miller.  Miss  Stowe,  of  Augusta,  Geo.  Miss  Roberts, 
of  South  Carolina.  Mr.  J.  Root.  Mr.  J.  M.  Roll.  Mr. 
G.  H.  Palmer.  Mr.  H.  C.  Bangs,  of  Connecticut.  Mr. 
Whiting.  Mr.  Wild.  Mr.  J.  Paine,  of  Mobile.  Mr.  A. 
F.  Bostwick,  of  South  Carolina.  Mr.  A.  Desaybe.  Mr. 
F.  Desaybe.  Mr.  T.  Smith.  Mr.  Laroque.  Mr.  P. 
Domingues.  Mr.  Labadie.  Mr.  Walton.  Mr.  Hazard. 
Mr.  Canthers.  Mr.  Finn.  Mr.  Woodburn,  Mr.  Richard 
Graham,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Sprott,  of  Alabama.  Mr. 
T.  Anderson,  Mr.  D.  B.  Toms,  of  Columbia,  S.  C.  Mr. 
Kennedy,  of  Darlington,  S.  C.  Mr.  Walker.  Mr.  Bene- 
dict, of  Augusta,  Geo.     Mr.  J.  Boyd. 

Passengers  saved.  — -  Madame  La  Coste,  Mrs.  Shroeder, 
Mr.  A.  A.  Lovegreen,  Mr.  Charles  Drayton,  Mr.  B.  B. 
Hussey,  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  Mr.  J.  S.  Cohen,  of  Co- 
lumbia, S.  C.  Mr.  C.  C.  Cady,  of  Montgomery,  Ala. 
Mr.  Thomas  J.  Smith,  Mr.  J.  D.  Roland,  Mr.  John  Bishop, 
Mr.  J.  Holmes,  Mr.  H.  Vanderzee,  Mr.  H.  Anderson,  of 
New  York.  Captain  Hill,  Captain  Salter,  of  Portsmouth, 
N..  H.  Mr.  Jas.  Johnson,  jun.,  of  Boston.  Mr.  W.  S. 
Reed,  of  New  Haven,  Ct.  Mr.  D.  Clock,  of  Athens,  Geo. 
Mr.  John  Mather.     Conrad  Q,uinn,  boy,  of  Jersey  City. 

Of  the  crew,  there  were  in  all  forty-three,  including  the 
captain,  two  mates,  the  chief  engineer,  &c. :  of  these,  the 
captain  and  nineteen  of  the  boat's  company  alone  were 
saved.     The  names  of  the  crew  not  known. 


HORRID    PARTICULARS 


PROCEEDINGS    ON    BOARD    OF    THE 

SHIP    FRANCIS    SPAIGHT, 

WHICH 

Foundered  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 

December,  1837. 

HIS  shocking  account  of  the  transactions 
on  board  of  this  vessel  was  written  by 
one  of  the  crew. 

The   Francis    Spaight,   of    345    tons, 

H  laden  with  timber,  sailed  from  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland,  November  24th, 
bound  for  Limerick.  The  crew  amount- 
ed to  fourteen  men,  with  the  captain  and  mate ;  they  had 
fine  weather  for  a  few  days,  but  it  afterwards  blew  so  hard 
that  they  were  obliged  to  drive  before  the  wind.  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  December  3d,  the  vessel,  through 
the  carelessness  of  the  helmsman,  suddenly  broached  to,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  she  lay  on  her  beam  ends,  the  greater 
part  of  the  crew  saving  themselves  by  clinging  to  the  rig- 
ging. Patrick  Cusack  and  Patrick  Behane  were  drowned 
in  the  forecastle,  and  Griffith,  the  mate,  in  the  after  cabin. 
The  captain  and  Mulville  got  to  the  fore  and  mainmasts, 
and  cut  them  away ;  the  mizzen-topmast  went  with  them 
over  the  side,  and  the  ship  immediately  righted.  As  soon 
as  she  righted,  she  settled  down  in  the  sea,  and  there  was 
scarcely  any  thing  to  be  seen  of  her  except  the  poop  and 
bulwarks.  No  situation  could  be  more  miserable  than  that 
of  the  unfortunate  crew,  standing  ankle  deep  on  the  wreck, 
in  a  winter's  night,  and  chnging  to  whatever  was  nearest, 


I 


I 


S6  FAMINE    ON    BOARD    THE    FRANCIS    SPAIGHT. 

as  sea  after  sea  rolled  successively  over  them.  On  the 
dawn,  they  discovered  that  their  provisions  had  been 
washed  overboard,  and  they  had  no  means  of  coming  at 
any  fresh  water.  The  gale  continued  unabated,  and  for 
safety  and  shelter  they  gathered  into  the  cabin  under  the 
poop.  Even  here,  she  was  so  deep  with  water,  a  dry  plank 
could  not  be  found,  and  their  only  rest  was  by  standing  close 
together.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  a  vessel  was  de- 
scried to  the  westward,  but  she  stood  far  away  beyond  the 
reach  of  signal,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.  That  day  and 
the  next  passed  away  without  any  change  in  the  weather. 
On  the  third,  it  began  to  moderate.  There  were  thirteen 
hands  alive,  and  not  one  had  tasted  a  morsel  of  food  since 
the  wreck,  and  they  had  only  three  bottles  of  wine  ;  this 
was  served  out  in  wine-glasses,  at  long  intervals.  There 
was  some  occasional  rain,  which  they  were  not  prepared  at 
first  for  saving,  but  on  the  fourth  or  fifth  day  they  got  a 
cistern  under  the  mizzenmasts,  where  it  was  filled  in  two 
days. 

The  periods  in  which  little  or  no  rain  fell,  were,  however, 
often  long,  so  that  they  stinted  themselves  to  the  smallest 
possible  allowance.  In  seven  days  after  the  appearance  of 
the  first  vessel,  another  was  seen  only  four  miles  north.  An 
ensign  was  hoisted,  but  she  bore  away  like  the  former,  and 
was  soon*  lost  to  their  view.  Despair  was  now  in  every 
countenance.  How  they  lived  through  the  succeeding  five 
days  it  would  be  hard  to  tell ;  some  few  endeavored  to  eat 
the  horn  buttons  of  their  jackets.  Horrible  as  this  situation 
was,  it  was  made  yet  worse  by  the  conduct  of  the  crew 
towards  one  another.  As  their  suflferings  increased,  they 
became  cross  and  selfish  ;  the  strong  securing  a  place  on  the 
cabin  floor,  and  pushing  aside  the  weak  to  shift  for  them- 
selves in  the  wet  and  cold.  There  Avas  a  boy,  named 
O'Brien,  especially,  who  seemed  to  have  no  friend  on  board, 
and  endured  every  sort  of  cruelty  and  abuse.  Most  of  the 
men  had  got  sore  legs  from  standing  in  the  salt  water,  and 
were  peevish  and  apprehensive  of  being  hurt :  as  soon  as 
O'Brien  came  near  them  in  search  of  a  dry  berth,  he  was 
kicked  away,  for  which  he  retaliated  in  curses. 

On  the  19th  December,  the  16th  day  since  the  wreck, 
the  captain  said,  they  were  now  a  length  of  time  without 


LOTS    DRAWN    BETWEEN    THE    BOYS.  8T 

sustenance,  that  it  was  beyond  human  nature  to  endure  it 
any  longer,  and  that  the  only  question  for  them  to  consider 
was,  whether  one  or  all  should  die  :  his  opinion  w^as,  that 
one  should  suffer  for  the  rest,  and  that  lots  should  be  drawn 
between  the  four  boys,  as  they  could  not  be  considered  so 
great  a  loss  to  their  friends,  as  those  who  had  wives  and 
children  depending  on  them.  None  objected  to  this,  except 
the  boys,  who  cried  out  against  the  injustice  of  such  a  pro- 
ceeding. O'Brien,  in  particular,  protested  against  it :  and 
some  mutterings  were  heard  amongst  the  men,  that  led  the 
latter  to  apprehend  they  might  proceed  in  a  more  summary 
way.  Friendless  and  forlorn  as  he  was,  they  were  calculated 
to  terrify  the  boy  into  acquiescence,  and  he  at  length  submit- 
ted. Mulville  now  prepared  some  sticks  of  different  lengths 
for  the  lots.  A  bandage  was  tied  over  O'Brien's  eyes,  and  he 
knelt  down,  resting  his  face  on  Mulville's  knees.  The  latter 
had  the  sticks  in  his  hand,  and  was  to  hold  them  up,  one  by 
one,  demanding  whose  lot  it  was.  O'Brien  was  to  call  out  a 
name,  and  wdiatever  person  he  named  for  the  shortest  stick 
was  to  die.  Mulville  held  up  the  first  stick,  and  demanded 
whom  it  was  for.  The  answer  was,  "  For  little  Johnny  Shee- 
han  ;  "  and  the  lot  was  laid  aside.  The  next  was  held  up, 
and  the  demand  was  repeated.  ''  On  myself;  "  upon  which 
Mulville  said,  that  was  the  death  lot  —  that  O'Brien  had 
called  it  for  himself.  The  poor  fellow  heard  the  announce- 
ment without  uttering  a  word.  The  men  told  him  he  must 
prepare  for  death,  and  the  captain  proposed  bleeding  him  io 
the  arm.  The  cook  cut  his  veins  across  with  a  small  knife, 
but  could  bring  no  flow  of  blood  ;  the  boy  himself  attempt- 
ed to  open  the  vein  at  the  bend  of  the  elbow^,  but,  like  the 
cook,  he  failed  in  bringing  blood.  The  captain  then  said, 
"  This  is  of  no  use ;  'tis  better  to  put  him  out  of  pain  by 
bleeding  him  in  the  throat."  At  this  O'Brien,  for  the  first 
time,  looked  terrified,  and  begged  that  they  would  give  him 
a  little  time  ;  he  said  he  was  cold  and  weak,  but  if  they 
would  let  him  lie  down  and  sleep  for  a  little,  he  would  get 
warm,  and  then  he  would  bleed  freely.  To  this  there  were 
expressions  of  dissent  from  the  men,  and  the  captain  said, 
Hwas  better  at  once  to  lay  hold  on  him,  and  let  the  cook  cut 
his  throat.  O'Brien,  driven  to  extremity,  declared  he  would 
not  let  them ;  the  first  man,  he  said,  who  laid  hands  on  him, 


Ob  FAMINE    ON    BOARD    THE    FRANCIS    SPAIGHT. 

'twould  be  the  worse  for  him  ;  that  he'd  appear  to  him  an- 
other time  ;  that  he'd  haunt  him  after  death.  There  was  a 
general  hesitation  amongst  them,  when  a  fellow  named  Har- 
rington seized  the  boy,  and  they  rushed  in  upon  hiin.  He 
screamed  and  struggled  violently,  addressing  himself,  in  par- 
ticular, to  Sullivan,  a  Tarbert  man.  The  poor  youth  was, 
however,  soon  got  down,  and  the  cook,  after  considerable 
hesitation,  cut  his  throat  with  a  case  knife,  and  the  tureen 
was  put  under  the  boy's  neck  to  save  the  blood. 

As  soon  as  the  horrid  act  had  been  perpetrated,  the  blood 
was  served  to  the  men.  They  afterwards  laid  open  the  body, 
and  separated  the  limbs ;  the  latter  were  hung  over  the  stern, 
while  a  portion  of  the  former  was  allotted  for  immediate 
use,  and  almost  every  one  partook  of  it.  This  was  the 
evening  of  the  16th  day.  They  ate  again  late  at  night;  but 
the  thirst,  which  was  before  endurable,  now  became  craving, 
and  they  slaked  it  with  salt  water.  Several  were  raving, 
and  talking  wildly  through  the  night,  and  in  the  morning 
the  cook  was  quite  mad.  His  raving  continued  during  the 
succeeding  night,  and  in  the  morning,  as  his  end  seemed  to 
be  approaching,  the  veins  of  his  neck  were  cut,  and  the 
blood  drawn  from  him.  This  was  the  second  death.  On 
that  night  Behane  was  mad,  and  the  boy  Burns  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning ;  they  were  obliged  to  be  tied  by  the  crew, 
and  the  latter  eventually  bled  to  death  by  cutting  his  throat. 
Behane  died  unexpectedly,  or  he  would  have  suffered  the 
same  fate.  Next  morning  Mahony  distinguished  a  sail,  and 
raised  a  shout  of  joy.  A  ship  was  clearly  discernible,  and 
bearing  her  course  towards  them.  Signals  were  hoisted, 
and  when  she  approached,  they  held  up  the  hands  and  feet 
of  O'Brien  to  excite  commiseration.  The  vessel  proved  to 
be  the  Angenora,  an  American.  She  put  off  a  boat  to  their 
assistance,  and  the  survivors  of  the  Francis  Spaight  were 
safely  put  on  board  the  American,  where  they  were  treated 
with  the  utmost  kindness. 


The  Pamperos  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata; 


WITH    THE 


REMARKABLE    NARRATIVE 

OF 

MR.    GEORGE    FRACKER, 

THE  SOLE  SURVIVOR  OF  THE  CREW  OF 

THE    SHIP    JANE; 

His  Escape  to  the  Shore,  and  perilous  Situation 
while  among  the  Guachas  of  South  America, 
September,  1817. 

N  the  eastern  coast  of  South  America, 
thirty-four  degrees  south  of  the  equator, 
the  grand  and  majestic  La  Plata  flows 
into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  On  approach- 
ing the  river  from  the  sea,  the  low  and 
level  land  appears  wholly  different  in  its 
outline  from  the  wild  and  towering  front 
along  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

This  vast  river  is  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  wide  at  the 
mouth,  and  extends,  with  a  gradual  contraction,  and  in  a 
winding  direction,  along  the  shores  of  Paraguay,  in  the  heart 
of  South  America,  a  distance  of  twelve  hundred  miles.  At 
Monte  Video  the  water  is  brackish,  and  cannot  be  drank  ; 
but  at  a  short  distance  above,  though  it  appears  at  all  times 
turbid  and  discolored,  as  if  with  the  yellow  mud  at  the  bot- 
tom, the  taste  is  sweet  and  palatable.  A  sealing  ship  was 
once  cast  away  on  the  Falkland  Islands,  and  a  few  of  the 
crew  with  difficulty  saved  themselves  in  the  long-boat. 
Being  on  a  barren  land,  they  resolved,  with  one  barrel  of 
beef,  which  they  had  fortunately  recovered,  and  a  scanty 
8* 


90  THE  PAMPEROS  OF  THE  LA  PLATA. 

supply  of  water,  to  commit  themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the 
waves,  in  their  frail  bark,  and  pushed  for  the  River  La 
Plata.  After  a  miserable  passage,  and  expending  their 
entire  stock  of  provisions,  they  arrived  at  last  even  to  the 
inner  roads  of  Buenos  Ayres,  ascended  the  deck  of  the  first 
vessel  they  saw,  and  implored,  "  in  the  name  of  God,''  a 
draught  of  water;  having  traversed  over  a  surface  of  one 
hundred  miles  of  good  fresh  water,  for  twenty-four  hours, 
not  apprehending  that  it  was  fresh,  and  sailed  dismally  over 
it,  perishing  with  intolerable  thirst. 

The  tides  in  the  river,  as  far  up  as  Buenos  Ayres,  are,  in 
general,  regular,  except  when  influenced  by  strong  and  con- 
stant winds,  and  the  rise  and  fall  is  about  eight  or  ten  feet. 
The  bed  of  the  river  is  of  hard  sand,  and  when  the  tides 
are  low,  no  boats  can  come  near  the  shore;  and  many  per- 
sons gain  a  living  by  conveying  goods  and  passengers  from 
the  boats  and  craft  to  the  shore,  which  is  sometimes  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  The  following  facts  will  illustrate  the 
power  of  those  violent  gales,  called  jjamperos,  from  their 
blowing  from  the  pampas,  or  plains.  Their  power  upon  the 
waters  of  this  river  is  tremendous. 

Many  years  ago,  during  the  contest  with  Spain,  a  Span- 
ish sloop-of-war  was  lying  in  the  outer  roads,  distant  at  least 
seven  miles  from  the  city.  A  succession  of  strong  pamperos, 
in  a  few  days,  laid  bare  the  whole  ground  of  the  inner  har- 
bor, and  the  vessels  and  craft  were  left  motionless  and  dry. 
The  winds  still  continuing  to  roll  back  the  waters,  even  the 
proud  Spaniard,  it  was  discovered,  was  laid  bare  to  the  keel. 
Preparations  were  immediately  made  by  the  patriots  to  attack 
her,  in  this  her  stationary  and  perilous  situation.  A  large 
body  of  artillerists,  with  some  pieces  of  heavy  cannon,  de- 
scended the  banks  of  the  river,  and  were  drawn  along  on 
the  sand  by  horses,  and  all  the  busde  of  a  march,  and  prep- 
aration for  battle,  as  on  the  tented  field,  were  seen  on 
ground  which  the  winds  had  cleared  for  them,  and  over 
which  the  waves  were  wont  to  roar.  The  astonished  Span- 
iards saw  with  alarm  and  consternation  the  approach  of  an 
enemy  on  horseback,  where,  a  few  days  before,  their  ship 
had  rode  in  ten  fathoms  of  water.  They,  however,  pre- 
pared for  a  desperate  conflict,  being  resolved  to  defend  their 
ship,  or  rather  now  their  castle,  to  the  last.     Their  fate  ap- 


THE    ASSAILANTS    DRIVEN    ON    SHORE.  91 

peared  almost  certain ;  but  fortune  for  once  favored  them, 
and  accomplished  more  in  ten  minutes  than  their  own  great- 
est bravery.  The  action  had  commenced,  when  an  unusual 
shout  of  triumph,  from  the  deck  of  the  Spaniard,  caused 
the  assailants  to  look  beyond,  when,  with  a  dismay  like  that 
of  Pharaoh's  host,  they  beheld  the  surge  rolling  in  and  roar- 
ing towards  them !  The  battle  ceased  instantly :  the  alarm 
was  electric,  —  the  traces  were  cut  from  the  cannons,  —  the 
guns  were  abandoned,  —  and  they  galloped  off  in  full  retreat, 
with  the  sea  in  close  pursuit  at  their  heels,  and  were  precip- 
itately driven  up  again,  by  this  new  enemy,  from  the  inva- 
sion of  her  possessions. 

The  Plata  has  been  called,  by  the  Spaniards,  "El  Inferno 
de  los  marineros ;  "  sufficient  stress  has  not,  however,  been 
laid  on  the  redeeming  qualities  which  it  possesses  in  having 
anchoring  ground  every  where,  and  in  soundings,  whose 
nature  tells  whether  you  are  approaching  danger ;  as  on 
and  near  the  banks  the  bottom  is  hard,  while  in  the  deeper 
water  it  is  very  soft. 

Before  a  pampero,  the  barometer  continues  to  fall  during 
several  days,  and  invariably  the  water  then  rises.  The  gale 
commences,  the  barometer  ceases  falling  and  begins  to  rise, 
and  very  soon  afterwards  the  level  of  the  river  is  found  to 
be  sinking. 

Before  a  pampero,  the  weather  is  sultry  during  a  few  days, 
with  a  light  breeze  from  the  east  or  north-east,  ending  in  a 
calm.  A  cool,  light  wind  then  sets  in  from  the  south  or 
south-east,  but  confined  entirely  to  the  lower  strata  of  the 
atmosphere,  while  the  clouds  above  it  are  moving  in  an  op- 
posite direction,  from  north-west  to  south-east.  The  north- 
ern horizon,  as  night  advances,  becomes  dark,  with  heavy, 
lowering  clouds,  accompanied  with  lightning  from  the  east 
or  north-east.  The  southern  wind  now  ceases,  and  is  fol- 
lowed by  variable  winds  from  the  northward.  Heavy  clouds 
are  thus  brought  over,  and  lightning,  accompanied  by  thun- 
der, follows,  in  a  terrific  manner.  The  wind  veers  gradu- 
ally to  the  westward  in  violent  gusts  ;  the  lightning  becomes 
more  vivid,  and  the  thunder  more  awful ;  the  gale  now 
follows  from  the  south-west.  The  lightning  is  beautifully 
colored,  presenting  the  hues  of  orange,  violet,  and  pink.    At 


92  THE  PAMPEROS  OF  THE  LA  PLATA. 

Monte  Video,  are  seen  very  remarkable  instances  of  electric 
light,  playing  like  the  Aurora  Borealis,  at  an  altitude  of  20 
degrees  above  the  horizon. 

"  When  on  board  of  the  ship  Ocean,  of  New  York,  the  ves- 
sel in  which  I  left  the  United  States,"  says  Mr.  Fracker,  "as 
we  lay  at  anchor  in  the  La  Plata,  on  the  twenty-second  of  Feb- 
ruary, Washington's  birth-day,  a  phenomenon  took  place  at 
Buenos  Ayres,  which  will  ever  be  remembered  by  those  who 
witnessed  it,  and  which,  I  believe,  has  never  been  recorded. 
On  the  morning  of  that  day,  while  lying  off  from  the  shore 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  the  men  being  employed,  as 
usual,  in  washing  the  decks,  it  being  about  half  past  seven, 
and  the  sun  two  hours  high, — 'Jack,'  says  one  of  the  men 
to  his  shipmate,  after  he  had  thrown  his  bucket  of  water,  and 
was  observing  the  weather,  '  what  means  that  cloud  of  dust 
in  the  wake  of  the  town  yonder  ? '  Before  the  question 
could  be  answered  by  his  comrade,  however,  the  uncommon 
appearance  of  this  dense  body  of  dust,  and  the  wild  appear- 
ance of  the  sky,  had  riveted  the  eyes  of  all  on  board. 
*  Stand  by  the  cable  tier,'  vociferated  the  chief  mate ;  'jump 
down  and  be  ready  to  pay  out ;  bear  a-hand,  my  hearties ; 
here's  a  'pampero  coming,  driving  the  world  before  him.' 
The  black  cloud  of  dust  now  rising  and  expanding  in  awful 
grandeur,  and  extending  over  half  the  horizon,  rapidly  ap- 
proached us,  immediately  followed  by  an  immense  shroud 
of  impenetrable  darkness,  which  rose  beneath  and  followed 
it.  As  the  ship  lay  broadside  to  the  shore,  I  was  proceeding 
from  midships  to  the  helm,  in  order  to  bring  her  head  to 
wind  ;  but  I  was  arrested  in  my  progress  by  total  darkness 
and  the  tremendous  blast,  which  at  once  struck  the  ship  and 
nearly  capsized  her,  and  had  to  secure  myself  by  clinching 
the  railing.  '  This  is  indeed  a  phenomenon  ! '  I  exclaimed  to 
the  chief  mate  ;  '  what  comes  next  ? '  But  astonishment  kept 
him  and  all  others  deprived,  for  the  time,  of  speech.  Here, 
for  a  few  minutes,  was  a  grand  and  awfully-sublime  spec- 
tacle: on  one  side  of  us  was  a  body  of  almost  palpable 
darkness,  and  on  the  other  the  fair  light  of  heaven.  Ex- 
pecting momentarily  to  be  blown  to  the  other  regions,  we 
waited,  breathlessly,  the  result  of  this  wonder  of  nature, 
for  about  twenty  minutes,  when  the  field  of  darkness  passed 


I 


ATMOSPHERICAL    PHENOMENON.  93 

through,  and  was  driven  beyond  us  to  the  other  side ;  and  in 
its  vacancy  the  hght  slowly  returned  :  thus  w^e  had  repeatedly 
light  on  one  side  and  darkness  on  the  other.  On  discerning 
the  features  of  each  other,  we  were  surprised  at  their  ludicrous 
complexion :  a  sooty  black  dust  had  overspread  our  faces,  and 
rendered  our  appearance  like  that  of  negroes.  On  recover- 
ing our  surprise,  we  found  we  had  sustained  no  other  dam- 
age than  dragging  our  anchors  a  few  cables'  length ;  but  other 
vessels,  near  before,  we  scarcely  could  recognize,  they  had 
drifted  so  far.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  boisterous 
and  rainy,  attended  with  heavy  thunder  and  lightning.  The 
sailors  considered  this  event  as  a  voice  of  Providence,  and 
the  carpenter  piously  believed  it  a  judgment  on  the  sinful 
inhabitants  of  the  land.  In  the  city  a  greater  degree  of 
consternation  prevailed.  Many,  at  the  time,  were  in  the 
streets  going  and  returning  from  market ;  but  the  sudden 
absence  of  hght  compelled  them  to  remain  as  they  were 
caught,  with  caravans  of  mules,  droves  of  horses,  &c. 

"  In  April,  the  ship  having  altered  her  destination,  I  ob- 
tained a  release ;  not  choosing  to  return  home,  and  being 
desirous  of  seeing  more  of  the  world. 

"  In  the  month  of  May,  I  entered  at  Buenos  Ayres  as 
second  officer  on  board  the  English  ship  Jane,  Captain  Wil- 
liam Seaboth,  bound  on  a  voyage  from  that  place  to  the 
Brazils.  Our  departure  was  some  time  retarded,  (an  ill- 
omened  event,)  owing  to  the  carelessness  of  the  pilot,  by 
striking  on  the  bar  in  going  out,  which  materially  damaged 
our  rudder,  and  caused  our  detention  nearly  six  weeks. 
Towards  the  middle  of  June,  however,  we  again  set  sail, 
and  after  a  moderate  passage  of  twenty  days,  anchored  in 
the  harbor  of  Rio  Janeiro.  Waiting  here  two  months  for 
frei,i^ht,  we  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  it,  and  on  the  third 
of  September,  in  company  with  a  large  fleet  for  different 
ports,  sailed  on  our  return,  bound  to  the  ports  of  Monte 
Video  and  Buenos  Ayres,  with  a  cargo  consisting  of  rum, 
sugar,  tobacco,  flour,  butter,  rice,  and  dry  goods,  having  on 
board  five  passengers,  two  of  them  Spaniards,  inhabitants 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  a  German,  an  Englishman,  and  an  Ameri- 
can, the  three  last  freighters  of  the  vessel,  and  owners  of 
the  principal  part  of  the  cargo ;  four  blacks,  their  slaves ; 
and    fourteen    of   the    ship's   company,    comprising   in    all 


94 


MR.  GEORGE  FRACKER  S  NARRATIVE. 


twenty-three  persons.  Our  passage  was  agreeable  and 
very  favorable,  and  in  fifteen  days  we  discovered  Cape 
St.  Mary,  the  northern  entrance  of  the  River  La  Plata ; 
continuing  our  course  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  with  a 
fine  wind,  till  towards  sunset  on  that  day,  when  the  weather 
becoming  foggy,  the  wind  increasing,  and  the  night  ap- 
proaching, it  was  deemed  expedient  to  haul  off  shore,  and 
gain  an  offing  for  anchorage.  We  accordingly  came  to 
anchor  about  fifteen  miles  from  Monte  Video,  our  first  des- 
tined port,  near  the  Island  of  Flores,  or  Flowers,  that  being 
to  windward,  and  the  wind  about  south-east.  The  gale 
increasing  very  fast,  at  eight  o'clock  more  cable  was  payed 
out,  and  at  nine,  it  blowing  very  hard,  another  anchor  was 
let  go.  At  half  past  nine  we  took  supper,  'elated  with  the 
idea  of  our  being  so  near  the  end  of  our  passage,  and  happy 
in  the  fair  prospect  of  breakfasting  next  morning  on  shore. 
Little  did  they  imagine  that  supper  to  be  their  last,  and  of 
being  so  near  the  end  of  the  voyage  of  life.  From  this 
time  the  gale  still  continued  to  increase,  the  ship  pitching 
very  heavily,  and  wetting  from  fore  to  aft  by  the  spray  of 
the  sea.  At  twelve,  midnight,  after  passing  an  anxious 
watch  below,  owing  to  the  strange  rolling  and  pitching  of 
the  ship,  caused  by  a  strong  weather  current,  I  came  upon 
deck  to  relieve  the  watch.  I  went  forward  to  examine  the 
state  of  the  cables  in  the  hawse-holes,  and  then  returned  to 
the  quarter-deck,  to  the  lead  line,  which  we  had  kept  over 
the  side,  and  by  its  feeling  was  fearful  that  the  ship  had 
been,  and  was  still  drifting.  The  motion  of  the  ship  and 
strong  current  prevented  my  knowing  this  to  a  certainty  ; 
both  our  anchors,  which  were  of  over-proportioned  sizes, 
being  down,  and  our  cables,  nearly  new,  out,  with  their 
whole  scope  of  a  hundred  fathoms.  While  at  the  lead,  I 
observed  something,  at  a  distance  to  leeward,  like  a  white 
foam,  and  remarked  it  to  the  boatswain,  who  v/as  standing 
near.  He  replied,  he  thought  it  no  more  than  the  curl  of 
the  waves.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  I  went  aft  into  the  yawl 
astern,  and  was  soon  satisfied  thoy  were  breakers,  and  not 
far  off.  I  quickly  went  below  to  the  cabin,  awoke  the 
captain,  and  aroused  the  passengers.  He  soon  ran  up 
on  deck,  and  had  just  gained  it,  when,  at  fifteen  minutes 
past  twelve,  the  ship   struck.     Those  below  were  directly 


THE    DISMAY    OF    THE    CREW.  95 

alarmed  by  the  shock,  —  for  the  previous  motion,  with  the 
noise  of  the  wind,  and  the  roar  of  the  sea,  must  have  pre- 
vented  their  sleeping,  —  and  hurried  affrighted  to  the  deck. 
The  sea  began  instantly  to  break   over  every  part  of  the 
ship,  and  all  were  struck   with   horror  on  looking  round  at 
the    awful    prospect,    and    the    inevitable    destruction    that 
awaited    them.      Some   were    in    their  shirts,   others    half 
dressed,  and  many  with  their  clothes  in  their  hands.     For 
the  first  time,  I  saw  seamen  completely  terror-struck  and 
dismayed.     The  captain  ordered  the  steward   to  go  down 
and  secure  some  articles  in  the  cabin  :   he  descended,  but 
soon  came  up  with  the  dismal  tidings  that  the  cabin  was  full 
of  water.     Many,   from  the  violence  of  her  striking,  were 
obHged  to  hold  on  by  the  railing,  and  the  captain,  among 
them,  gave  orders  to  cut  away  the  masts.     The  carpenter 
was  sick  in   his  hammock  below.     I  asked  several  for  the 
place  where  the  axe  lay.      '  We  don't  know  of  any  axe, 
sir,'  was  the  answer  ;    '  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us.'      The 
seas  now  made  complete  breaches  over  every  part  of  the 
ship ;  and  perceiving  I  should  have  to  commit  myself  to  the 
waves,  I  threw  off  my  pea  jacket  and  hat.     Most  of  the 
crew  and  passengers  were  holding  on  to  the  different  parts 
on  the  quarter-deck,  as  the  highest  part  of  the  ship :  three 
or  four,  I  was  pained  to  see,  although  nearly  naked  in  freez- 
ing weather,  had  got  up  into  the  main  shrouds.     From  the 
time  she  had  first  struck,  the  seas  had  broken  so  completely 
over  us,  that  it  rendered  every  effort  abortive  towards  the 
first  and    most    laudable   intention   of  cutting    the   cables, 
making  some  sail,  and  driving  as  far  as  possible  on  shore  ; 
or,  at  the  worst,  to  cut  away  the  masts.     But  such  was  its 
sudden  violence,  that  nothing  was  soon  thought  of  but  to 
attempt  to  hold  on  as  long  as  possible,  and  efforts  for  any 
thing  else  were  impracticable  and  abandoned.     While  hold- 
ing on  to  the  quarter-rail,  we  were  at  every  sea  overwhelmed 
and  washed  out,  at  arms'  length,  off  our  legs ;  and  many  were 
forced  from  their  holds  and  drowned,  or  broken  and  bruised 
to  death,  by  pieces  of  the  wreck.     Finding  it  impossible 
to  stand  longer  this  freezing  and  suffocating  drenching,  I 
watched   my  chance,  and  sprang  over  the  heads  of  some 
that  were  in  the  mizzen-rigging,  and  gained  the  mizzen-top, 
advising  the  rest  to  follow,  as  I  was  certain  no  one  could 


96 


MR.  GEORGE  FRACKER  S  NARRATIVE. 


stand  such  horrid  seas  five  minutes  longer.  Here,  in  the 
mizzen-top,  in  the  intervals  of  the  ship's  striking,  I  fell  to 
thrashing  myself,  preparing  for  the  waves.  I  took  off  my 
shoes,  and  beat  the  soles  of  my  feet.  My  limbs  had  been 
for  some  time  much  benumbed,  and  my  feet  without  feeling: 
I  succeeded,  however,  at  last,  by  great  exertion,  in  circu- 
lating the  blood,  and  rendered  myself  once  more  warm. 
While  aloft,  the  work  of  chaotic  destruction  was  busily 
carried  on  by  the  dread  ministers  of  death.  It  appeared  as 
if  orders  had  been  given  from  above,  on  this  night,  for  total 
and  indiscriminate  destruction  in  the  shortest  time  possible. 
There  I  could  almost  perceive  those  spirits  of  vengeance 
who  '  ride  in  the  whirlwind  and  direct  the  storm.'  From 
thence  was  a  view  of  a  shipwreck  in  all  its  terrors,  and  in 
all  its  sublimity.  While  here,  most  of  those  below  were 
now  washed  from  their  grasps,  and  soon  met  death.  The 
mainmast  likewise  fell  over  the  side,  —  unfortunately  the 
wrong  side,  to  windward,  — off^ shore,  the  ship  laying  broad- 
side to  the  sea,  and  having  a  weather  heel. 

"  The  ship  continued  to  beat  very  hard  upon  a  ledge  of 
rocks  till  she  was  in  pieces.  The  long-boat,  by  repeated 
seas,  was  forced  from  her  grips  and  fastenings,  and  the 
small  boat,  astern,  instantly  after  struck,  and  was  carried 
away  upon  the  top  of  a  sea,  with  all  its  appendage  of  sails, 
tackles,  and  lashings.  I  soon  found  myself  going  over  with 
the  mizzenmast,  which  fell,  and  carried  me  along  with  it. 
I  was  plunged  into  the  sea,  and  received  a  few  scratches 
and  bruises,  but  happily  extricated  myself,  and  by  making 
my  way  down  the  rigging,  with  difficulty  regained  the  ship. 
I  was  now  beset  on  all  sides  with  conflicting  timber,  but  was 
well  aware  of  the  danger  which  threatened  me.  It  was, 
indeed,  passing  the  watery  ordeal  to  cross  the  ship  at  this 
time  to  gain  the  shore,  and,  springing  in  the  interval  of  a 
sea  to  gain  the  other  side,  I  found  every  plank  of  the  main 
deck  washed  off  and  in  pieces ;  the  foremast  had  now  like- 
wise fallen,  and  numerous  pipes  of  wine,  floating  around, 
added  to  the  general  wreck.  I  had  fallen  in  springing 
among  this  ruin,  and  had  so  far  received  but  one  or  two 
serious  bruises ;  but  a  tremendous  wave  now  swept  before 
it  some  large  spars,  and  carrying  me  along  with  it,  my  right 
leg  was  struck  by  one  of  them  just  at  the  joint  of  the  knee, 


A    CRITICAL    SITUATION. 


97 


which  was  instantly  crushed,  and  jammed  in  between  tliat 
and  a  deck  beam,  a  few  of  which  still  remained  fast,  as  near 
as  I  could  distinguish  ;  for  it  was  now  as  dark  as  Erebus. 
Now,  for  a  few  moments  jammed  in,  as  it  were  in  a  vice,  my 
situation  was  most  critical,  and  frightfully  dismaying.     The 


Wreck  of  the  Ship  Jane,  in  the  Rio  de  la  Plata. 

blow  I  felt  had  almost  severed  my  leg,  and  kept  it  still  con- 
fined ;  another  sea  was  roaring  towards  me,  which  would 
infalhbly  have  washed  some  large  surrounding  timber  higher 
up  against  my  head  and  body,  and  of  which  I  was  in  instant 
expectation.  But,  by  a  fortunate  rise  of  the  water,  I  caught 
hold  of  the  lee-rail,  and  threw  myself  over  the  ship's  side 
9 


98  MR.  GEORGE  FRACKER's  NARRATIVE. 

into  the  sea,  not  with  a  hope  of  reaching  the  shore,  which  I 
did  not  know  how  to  steer  for,  as  I  had  not  seen  it,  but 
resolving  to  hasten  my  end,  preferring  to  die  with  sea-room^ 
and  to  avoid  a  death  which  seemed  equal  to  being  broken 
upon  the  wheel.  I  had  heard  the  voices  of  two  or  three 
others,  and  among  them  the  captain,  their  bones  probably 
mostly  broken,  and  but  just  alive.  These  I  believed  were 
all  that  still  survived. 

"  After  I  had  plunged  into  the  sea,  and  rose,  I  held  on  for 
a  moment  to  the  upper  works,  which  was  all  that  was  now 
left  of  the  ship.  I  then  quitted  and  began  to  strip  —  no  easy 
manoeuvre  for  a  person  in  my  then  situation,  as  I  had  on  a 
thick  jacket,  waistcoat,  two  pair  of  trousers,  and  necker- 
chief. While  doing  this,  some  one,  and  the  only  one  whom 
I  discovered  clinging  to  the  ship's  timbers,  was  suddenly 
washed  from  his  hold,  and,  extending  his  arms,  grasped  my 
neckerchief  behind,  and  we  sunk  together.  Pushed  for  breath 
myself,  it  was  no  time  for  ceremony :  the  next  hold  I  per- 
haps could  not  disengage  ;  and  I  was  not  so  beside  myself 
as,  by  attempting  to  assist  another,  to  insure  certain  deatli  to 
both.  I  therefore  quickly  untied  my  neckerchief:  he  sunk 
with  it  in  his  hand,  and  I  saw  him  no  more.  I  presumed 
he  was  a  passenger,  from  his  white  shirt ;  and  from  his  great 
size,  Senior  Monasteria,  a  Spanish  engineer.  While  under 
water,  I  in  a  moment  stripped  myself,  and  again  rose  to  the 
surface,  divested  of  all  covering  but  my  shirt;  my  leg  hung 
down  useless  in  the  water;  besides  which,  I  had  several  cuts 
in  my  feet,  several  bruises  upon  my  ribs,  and  a  large  cut  over 
my  left  eye,  through  which  the  chilling  coldness  of  the  water 
struck  to  the  heart.  Although  always  an  expert  swimmer, 
I  found  I  could  barely  keep  myself  above  water.  Fearless 
before  of  wind  and  water,  I  was  now  puzzled;  for  swim- 
ming, even  with  health  and  whole  bones,  was  unavailing  in 
a  sea  like  this.  Hitherto  I  had  seen  no  land,  but  was  swept 
and  carried  along  by  every  sea  which  came  over  me,  and  I 
resolved  to  get  hold  of  the  first  thing  I  fell  in  with,  and  gain 
breath,  of  v/hich  I  was  very  short.  I  soon  seized  hold  of  a 
bale  of  goods,  but  it,  being  wet  and  heavy,  was  of  no  use,  for 
every  sea  rolled  over  me,  and  I  quitted  it  nearly  exhausted. 
I  saw  numberless  pieces  of  the  wreck,  and  was  in  constant 
danger  of  being  struck  by  some,  which  I  often  avoided  by 


NATURE  NEARLY  EXHAUSTED.  99 

diving  and  scrambling  from,  but  which  the  prodigious  seas 
would  wholly  overwhelm. 

'•  I  stood  this  hard  buffeting  for  about  a  dozen  seas,  and 
nature  was  fast  retreating  from  the  conflict ;  being  desper- 
ately pushed  for  breath,  as  I  could  draw  but  little  in  the  short 
interval  of  the  seas.  I  had  now  been  nearly  half  an  hour  in 
the  water,  and  half  the  time  underneath  it ;  disabled  as  I 
was,  I  had  withstood  beyond  my  hopes  this  war  of  elements, 
but  my  breath  now  deserted  me  like  the  flash  of  a  taper,  £tnd 
another  sea  struck  out  every  particle  of  the  remainder.  Suf- 
focated and  strangled,  I  gasped  twice  with  a  convulsive  leap. 
It  was  in  vain  ;  another  sea  swept  over  me  ;  I  saw  death  inev- 
itable, terrible,  and  face  to  face.  I  had  but  time,  with  a  last 
breath,  to  say  involuntarily  the  ejaculation,  '  Lord  Jesus,  re- 
ceive my  spirit,'  and  quickly  sunk  many  feet  under  water, 
without  the  least  or  most  distant  hope  of  asiain  seein":  the 
light,  but  with  the  fullest  assurance  I  had  taken  a  last  view 
of  transient  objects,  and,  till  the  last  trump  summoned  all 
hands,  I  should  rise  no  more.  My  senses,  with  my  breath, 
also  forsook  me,  and,  for  a  moment,  my  mind  was  filled  with 
the  most  singular  and  delightful  sensations,  seemingly  in  an 
enrapturing  dream.  This,  however,  was  as  momentary  as  it 
was  wonderful.  Whether  from  the  violence  of  a  wave,  which 
then  broke  over  me,  or  by  the  pain  of  the  wounds  and  chill 
of  the  water,  I  am  not  certain  by  what  means,  I  was  soon 
brought  to  my  senses,  and  rose  again  to  the  surface  seem- 
ingly refreshed  ;  on  looking  around  I  distinctly  discovered,  a 
few  fathoms  from  me,  as  if  supernaturally  thrown  in  my  way, 
something  large  and  light,  for  it  kept  constantly  above  the 
waves.  I  exerted  my  remaining  power,  and  reached  it.  It 
was  a  large  crate,  containing  nothing  but  straw ;  clinging  to 
this,  I  soon  recovered  breath,  as  its  buoyancy  kept  it  high 
above  the  seas.  After  holding  to  this  some  length  of  time, 
and  constantly  turning  it  round,  as  my  weight  pulled  it  over 
towards  me,  I  still  kept  courage,  and  dropped  myself  fre- 
quently down,  without  quitting  my  hold,  with  the  earnest 
hope  of  touching  the  bottom,  but  without  success.  I  was 
much  fatigued,  and  could  scarcely  keep  hold  of  the  crate, 
for  every  sea  would  sweep  us  at  least  ten  feet  before  it.  I 
had  almost  despaired  of  the  land's  being  near,  and  was  fear- 
ful that  at  last  it  might  prove  only  a  shoal.     Still,  however, 


JOO         MR.  GEORGE  FRACKEr's  NARRATIVE. 

holding  on  with  hopeless  indifference,  I  soon  after  observed 
a  sudden  lull,  and  that~the  waves  were  not  a  third  so  violent. 
I  shook  myself,  and  roused  my  drowsy  spirits,  looked  round, 
and  found  myself  inside  the  breakers !  I  quickly  again 
dropped  myself  down,  and  with  my  foot  touched  the  ground. 
I  found  it  was  of  sand,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  got  up  to 
about  breast  higli  in  the  water,  and  then,  by  shoving  myself 
forward  by  leg  and  arms,  soon  crawled  out  upon  the  beach. 
Thus,  after  being  more  than  half  an  hour  in  the  water,  and 
making  my  way,  for  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  through 
a  tremendous  sea,  at  midnight,  I  at  last  found  myself  upon 
a  desert  beach,  certain  that  no  one  could  have  reached  ten 
fathoms  from  the  ship,  which,  in  an  hour  and  a  half  after  she 
first  struck,  was  scattered  in  pieces  on  the  strand.  Some 
idea  may  be  had  of  the  violence  of  the  elements,  when  not 
a  single  mast  came  on  shore  entire,  and  out  of  twenty-three 
persons,  among  whom  were  four  stout  African  slaves,  whose 
constant  practice  of  swimming  renders  them  almost  amphibi- 
ous, but  one  body  came  on  sliore  that  night.  The  remainder, 
buried  by  the  first  wave,  came  not  on  shore  till  nine  days 
afterwards. 

"  Amazed,  and  nearly  stunned,  I  attempted  to  stand,  but 
my  leg  refused  its  office,  and  I  fell  backward  to  the  ground, 
hurt  by  the  fall,  and  the  blood  streaming  from  several  wounds. 
Half  frantic  with  pain,  and  the  severe  wintry  weather,  a  groan 
for  the  first  time  escaped  me.  Here,  as  I  lay  extended  on 
the  earth,  I  repeatedly  wished  for  death,  for  his  stroke  would 
have  been  welcome.  Then  I  could  have  met  his  face,  not 
as  the  grim  visage  of  the  dread  king  of  terrors,  but  as  the 
hope-inspiring  countenance  of  meek-eyed  mercy.  I  con- 
sidered the  fate  of  my  companions  far  more  happy  than  my 
own  ;  for  their  sufferings,  though  severe,  were  but  moment- 
ary, while  mine  were  perhaps  to  be  protracted  till  struggling 
nature,  slowly  giving  way,  sunk  under  misery  at  its  utmost 
stretch.  Sufferings  so  acute  I  determined'  not  to  endure. 
The  dread  alternative,  therefore,  was  soon  chosen,  and  I 
resolved  to  put  an  end  to  my  existence  by  the  first  means 
chance  should  throw  in  my  power. 

•'  I  had  a  firm  opinion  that  the  shore  was  a  barren  and 
desolate  country,  without  inhabitants  for  a  great  distance, 
with   no  chance   of  being    discovered,    impenetrable   from 


A    LODGING    FOR    THE    NIGHT.  101 

swamps  and  shrubbery  ;  and  not  being  able  to  move  with- 
out torture,  I  should  certainly  not  survive  till  the  morning. 
Groping  my  way  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  I  felt  something 
large,  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  a  pipe  of  wine  ;  here  was 
the  lowest  part  of  the  cargo  on  shore  before  me.  I  was 
upon  the  point  of  knocking  my  head  against  it,  and  dashing 
out  my  brains,  but  doubted  my  strength  to  give  a  blow  suffi- 
cient. A  second  thought  most  happily  struck  me ;  the  cask 
was  big  enough  to  contain  me,  and  by  knocking  in  the  head, 
if  possible,  would,  if  placed  in  a  favorable  position,  be  a 
complete  shelter  from  the  horrible  cold.  Hope  once  more 
brightened,  and  gave  me  triple  vigor.  Groping  farther 
round,  I  found  several  sticks  of  wood,  dunnage  to  the 
pipes,  and  taking  up  one,  I  got  round  to  the  upper  head, 
and  by  repeated  strokes  made  a  breach,  the  wine  spirted 
out  through  the  crevices;  I  drank  some,  and  then  continued 
my  strokes  with  renewed  force.  The  head  at  last  was  en- 
tirely stove  in,  the  wine  washed  out  over  me,  the  touch  of 
which,  to  my  frozen  carcass,  was  electric  and  most  agree- 
able. I  then  placed  two  pieces  of  the  head  staves  into  the 
bilge  or  bottom  of  the  cask,  to  make  it  square  and  level,  and 
crowded  in.  It  seemed  and  felt  like  an  oven.  I  had  all 
this  time  been  partly  in  the  water,  at  the  edge  of  the  surf, 
which  now  came  into  the  cask  at  every  wave,  which  kept 
me  constantly  throwing  it  out  with  my  left  hand,  as  I  lay 
upon  my  back,  as  the  least  painful  position.  This  labor  I 
was  obliged  to  continue,  during  the  remainder  of  the  nighty 
till  towards  morning,  when  the  wind  somewhat  abated,  the 
tide  ebbed,  and  the  surf  retreating,  no  longer  kept  me  bail- 
ing ;  I  was,  however,  too  fatigued  to  remove.  At  daybreak 
I  looked  out  of  the  cask,  and  beheld  a  large,  sandy  beach, 
covered,  to  a  great  extent,  on  each  side  of  me,  with  the 
wreck ;  but  not  a  vestige  of  the  ship,  as  long  as  the  pump, 
or  any  thing  moving,  except  the  gulls.  In  fact  I  was  as- 
sured, on  first  reaching  the  shore,  that  no  mortal  alone  could 
make  his  way  through  such  seas,  in  such  a  night,  to  the  land. 
My  own  preservation  I  considered  as  falling  but  little  short 
of  a  miracle.  A  shipwreck  so  sudden,  an  escape  so  singu* 
lar,  the  uproar  I  had  witnessed,  and  the  sight  now  before 
me,  my  scattered  senses  could  scarcely  conceive  real :  I  for 
9"^ 


102         MR.  GEORGE  FRACKER  S  NARRATIVE. 

some  time  actually  doubted  myself  awake,  for  it  seemed  like 
a  horrible  dream. 

"  I  then  again  composed  myself  in  the  cask,  and,  owing 
to  pain,  the  fumes  of  the  wine,  and  great  exertion,  I  re- 
mained during  this  day  nearly  insensible,  and  in  a  trance- 
like stupor.  Towards  sunset,  I  was  fearful  of  being  carried 
away  by  the  return  of  the  water,  during  the  approaching 
night,  with  the  pipe.  In  this  dangerous  situation  I  reluc- 
tantly crawled  out  of  the  cask,  and  holding  up  my  useless 
leg,  from  trailing  on  the  ground,  and  hitching  myself  back- 
ward, with  my  right  hand,  I  gained  in  this  manner  the  foot  of 
a  sand  hill,  further  up  the  beach.  I  crawled  up  this  as  high 
as  my  strength  w^ould  permit,  to  be  free  from  the  reach  of  the 
sea,  and  as  night  was  now  fast  approaching,  it  was  in  vain  to 
look  farther  for  a  shelter.  Finding  no  refuge  above  the 
ground,  I  resolved  to  seek  one  below  it,  and  dug  a  large 
hole  in  the  sand,  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  got  into  it,  and,  with 
my  disabled  leg  undermost,  pulling  and  raking  the  sand  over 
me,  lay  down. "  The  sand  and  a  shirt  were  my  only  cover- 
ing. The  weather  w^as  extremely  cold,  the  sand  wet,  and 
during  the  night  it  rained  and  blew  tremendously  ;  the  wet 
sand,  drifting  around  in  smothering  showers,  covered  every 
part  of  me,  and  repeatedly  filling  my  hair,  ears,  nose,  eyes, 
and  mouth,  kept  me  constantly  spitting  it  out  to  prevent 
suffocation  ;  while  the  weather  compelled  me  to  sit  up  and 
thrash  myself,  every  ten  minutes,  to  prevent  freezing.  Once 
I  resolved  to  shift  my  position,  to  get  under  the  lee,  or  into 
some  hollow  upon  the  sheltering  side,  and  I  accordingly 
crawled  to  some  distance,  I  knew  not  in  what  direction, 
owing  to  extreme  darkness,  and  made  another  hole,  then 
thrashing  my  arms  for  some  time,  again  lay  down,  covering 
myself,  as  before,  with  sand,  to  resist  the  cold.  Such  was 
my  bed,  and  such  the  manner  in  which  I  passed  this  night, 
alone,  on  a  desert  beach,  in  a  foreign  land,  while  the  wild 
beasts  of  the  forest,  with  their  consoling  music,  added  an 
enchanting  serenade  ! 

"  In  the  morning  I  looked  around,  and  observed  I  had 
got  to  the  other  side  of  the  sand  hill,  in  sight  of  a  low  and 
marshy  country,  but  saw  no  sign  of  habitation  or  cattle.  I 
made  shift  to  get  out  of  the  sand.  I  now  took  a  survey  of 
myself;  I  looked  like  nothing  human,  nothing  in  the  like- 


FRESH    WATER    DISCOVERED.  103 

ness  of  any  thing  upon  earth,  or  in  the  waters  beneath  ; 
covered  with  sores,  which  were  filled  with  sand,  as  were 
also  my  hair,  eyebrows,  beard,  and  whiskers ;  my  leg 
swelled  almost  to  the  size  of  a  wool-sack,  my  left  wrist 
out  of  joint,  and  hand  swelled  and  useless ;  my  feet  swelled 
and  wrinkled  like  tripe,  from  remaining  so  long  in  the 
water,  and  both  painful  from  numerous  wounds ;  my  body 
of  all  colors,  as  if  a  rainbow  was  w^rapped  around  me  ;  and 
withal  nearly  naked.  I  was  indeed  a  fioure  too  shockino: 
to  excite  pity,  too  disabled  to  excite  fear,  and  too  mon- 
strous for  any  sensation  but  astonishment.  I  descended 
the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  slowly  moved  along  for  some  time 
among  the  bushes  that  grew  around,  till  I  espied,  at  some 
distance,  a  low  place  among  the  grass  and  shrubbery,  which 
I  thought  might  contain  water.  In  half  an  hour,  resting  at 
intervals,  I  reached  it,  and  found  to  my  great  joy  I  was  not 
deceived.  The  water  was  clear  and  excellent.  I  at  first 
tried  several  different  plans  to  get  my  mouth  to  the  brook  ; 
at  last,  lying  at  length  on  the  ground,  and  rolling  up  to  it,  I 
succeeded.  It  was  the  most  delicious  draught  I  ever  tasted. 
I  drank  an  immoderate  quantity,  waited  awhile,  and  drank 
again.  Looking  around,  I  saw  nothing  but  what  indicated 
a  barren  and  inhospitable  waste.  I  was  therefore  compelled 
to  make  my  way  over  the  sand  hills,  and  regain  the  beach  — 
a  difficult  task,  which  I,  however,  surmounted,  and  reached 
the  beach  about  noon. 

"  The  weather  v/as  still  inauspicious  and  cloudy,  the  gale 
not  much  abated,  and  the  sea  continued  to  roar.  When 
descending  the  slope,  I  had  seen,  among  the  great  mass  of 
articles  on  the  beach,  a  large  wine-cask,  which  lay  at  a  short 
distance,  with  one  head  stove  in  by  the  sea,  the  other  facing 
the  wind  and  sea,  and  the  mouth  near  the  hill,  which  was  a 
shelter  in  front.  This  was  a  fine  house  for  me,  and,  fortu- 
nately, just  what  I  wanted.  I  made  towards  it,  entered  it, 
and  lay  down,  being  very  weak  and  fatigued  ;  but  I  soon 
found  the  bare  staves  too  hard  for  my  bare  bones  and 
bruised  carcass.  I  shortly  after  sallied  out  in  search  of  a 
covering,  and  in  hopes  of  finding  some  bed,  mattress,  or 
blanket,  among  the  wreck.  I  took  a  survey  of  each  side, 
and  saw  at  a  distance  something  that  looked  like  a  bed  ;  but 
on  coming  up  to  it,  1  found  only  a  sack  of  white  cotton  wool, 


104         MR.  GEORGE  FRACKEr's  NARRATIVE. 

wet  and  heavy,  which  I  could  not  remove.  I  then  returned 
to  the  cask,  rested  awhile,  and  took  another  survey.  I  soon 
saw,  at  a  great  distance  down  the 'beach,  towards  the  water, 
some  rolls  of  cotton  bagging,  of  which  we  had  a  great  num- 
ber on  board ;  and  again  I  started  out  in  pursuit.  I  was  a 
long  while  in  getting  to  them,  and  then  found  them  so 
buried  in  the  sand,  that  I  was  an  hour  in  digging  and  clear- 
ing away  the  sand  from  around  them.  They  were  two  large 
rolls,  like  bed-tickings,  standing  upright,  with  about  twenty 
yards  of  one  rolled  round  the  other.  I  unrolled  one  from 
the  other,  when  I  found  the  inside  one  still  wet.  I  pushed 
it  down,  and  rolled  it  along  before  me,  hitching  myself  up 
to  it,  and  then  pushing  it  from  me  again.  Thus  I  got  it  up 
to  the  cask,  and  across  its  mouth,  getting  into  which,  I  un- 
rolled eight  or  ten  fathoms,  laid. down  in  the  cask,  and  pushed 
and  spread  it  as  I  could  underneath  me.  I  then  unrolled  as 
much  more,  and  covered  myself  with  it.  Though  this  was 
still  wet,  and  covered,  as  was  every  thing  else,  with  sand,  I 
now  thought  myself  very  well  off,  and  my  situation  very  com- 
fortable, compared  to  that  of  the  last  thirty  hours. 

"  Darkness  soon  came  on,  and  during  this  night  extreme 
and  raging  thirst  kept  me  awake,  and  pain  kept  me  con- 
stantly shifting  positions.  Daylight  at  last  appeared  ;  my 
powers  were  too  feeble  to  undertake  a  journey  over  the  hills 
to  the  watering-place,  though  I  would  have  given  my  all, 
which  was  but  a  miserable  remnant  of  life,  for  a  draught  of 
the  life-giving  element.  I  therefore  resolved  upon  search- 
ing among  the  pipes  of  wine,  to  find  one  which  had  its 
bung  inclining  downward,  that  the  wine  might  run  out, 
if  I  could  hammer  out  the  bung.  My  hunger,  however, 
almost  equalled  my  thirst.  While  in  my  way  to  the  wine, 
I  espied,  at  a  short  distance  out  of  my  course,  a  small 
keg,  which  I  thought  might  possibly  contain  salmon,  of 
which  we  had  several  hundreds  on  board.  I  hitched  to- 
wards it,  but  found  it  with  one  head  out,  and  partly  filled 
with  sand.  Nevertheless,  I  resolved  to  take  it  with  me  and 
fill  it  with  wine.  Coming  to  the  casks,  I  found  one  that 
answered.  I  soon  procured  a  billet  of  wood,  struck  out  the 
bung,  and  applied  my  mouth  to  the  hole,  drinking  a  great 
quantity.  I  afterwards  rinced  the  keg,  and  nearly  filling  it 
with  wine,  returned  with  it  slowly  to  the  cask.     I  set  it  out- 


i 


THE    TIME    BEGUILED    BY    SINGING.  107 

side,  and  crawled  in,  and  began  to  ruminate  upon  my  con- 
dition. I  found  it  would  be  impossible,  without  succor,  to 
move  much  longer  about,  and  determined  to  remain  at  home 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day ;  and  if  sufficient  strength 
remained  on  the  next,  as  my  only  chance  of  relief,  to  rig  a 
kind  of  signal  with  a  pole  or  small  spar,  of  which  there  were 
many,  and  a  piece  of  cotton  stuff  for  a  flag,  that,  if  any 
vessel  should  approach  near  enough,  she  might  observe  it. 

''My  first  thought,  of  endeavoring  to  get  off  the  small 
boat,  which  I  saw  at  a  great  distance,  and  to  rig  a  kind  of 
sail,  and  steer  for  Monte  Video,  I  now  abandoned.  It  was 
a  mad  idea,  and  would  have  been  impracticable,  as  the  boat's 
bottom,  I  afterwards  learnt,  was  stove  in.  I  knew  that  tlie 
next  day  I  should  be  unable  to  make  a  further  search  than  I 
had  done  for  provisions,  as  the  method  of  getting  along  was 
slow  and  painful,  being,  as  I  before  observed,  by  hitching 
myself  backward  with  my  right  hand,  and  frequently  stop- 
ping to  thrash  myself  from  the  cold.  And  although  nothing 
was  more  probable  than  that  the  first  savage,  who  should 
discover  me,  would  instantly  murder  me,  as  an  impediment 
to  plunder,  I  was  prepared  for  his  knife ;  and  that  my  ap- 
prehensions were  not  groundless,  the  sequel  too  mournfully 
shows.  But  a  certain  presentiment  of  relief  still  upheld  my 
spirits,  which  were  never  less  depressed  than  upon  this  oc- 
casion. I  remembered  that  the  great  Director  still  had  not 
forsaken  me,  since  '  God  is  ever  present,  ever  felt,  in  the 
wide  waste,  as  in  the  city  full.'  Every  thing  therefore  con- 
sidered, to  Wait  with  fortitude  the  will  of  Heaven,  was  my 
ultimate  determination.  I  was  now  more  comfortably  situ- 
ated than  at  any  previous  period,  and  I  began  to  amuse  my- 
self by  singing  a  few  songs.  I  had  a  covering  inside,  and  a 
keg  of  good  wine  outside.  One  song,  if  not  with  energy, 
was  sung  with  great  feeling:  it  was  the  well-known  and 
classical  song  of  '  How  blest  a  life  a  sailor  leads,'  &c. 
After  this,  by  repeated  drinking,  owing  to  my  excessive 
thirst,  I  was  thrown  into  a  doze  of  about  half  an  hour.  I 
soon  awoke,  and,  to  beguile  my  feelings,  began  upon  a 
psalm  tune,  and  sung  several,  to  quiet  the  emotions  caused 
by  hunger,  thirst,  and  pain.  It  was  now  three  days  and 
nights  since  I  had  tasted  food,  and  my  taper  of  life  began 
to  glimmer  in  the  socket.     How  I  survived  these  scenes  of 


108         MR.  GEORGE  FRACKEr's  NARRATIVE. 

accumulated  misery  so  long,  when  but  barely  alive  on  first 
gaining  the  shore,  I  scarcely  can  tell ;  the  retrospect  even 
now  astonishes  me.  But  frail  mortality  could  resist  no 
longer.  My  strength  had  utterly  failed.  I  hailed  the  ap- 
proaching night  as  the  termination  of  my  cares,  considered 
the  mean  covering  over  me  as  my  shroud,  and  the  cask  as 
my  coffin,  and  waited  with  fortitude  the  hour  of  dissolution. 
But  the  next  was  the  hour  of  deliverance  ! 

^' About  four  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  the 
auspicious  20th  of  September,  I  was  aroused  from  my  reve- 
ries by  the  sound  of  a  horse's  feet.  Uncertain  and  careless 
who  appeared,  whether  a  friend  or  an  enemy,  I  waited  his 
approach  with  calmness,  being  absolutely  inditferent  in  my 
choice,  '  to  sleep  or  die.'  At  the  next  moment,  a  horse  with 
a  rider  stopped  before  the  cask.  I  hailed  in  Spanish  faindy, 
^Amigo,'  (friend.)  He  instantly  alighted,  and,  struck  at  such 
a  ghastly  spectacle,  as  I  then  exhibited,  he  recoiled  a  few 
paces  backward.  Recovering  soon  from  his  dismay,  by  see- 
ing my  helpless  condition,  he  advanced,  and  stooped  to  learn 
by  what  strange  means  I  had  outlived  the  general  wreck. 
He  was  a  young  man,  a  Creole,  or  half  Indian,  of  benevo- 
lent features,  and  dressed  partly  in  the  Indian  method.  I 
told  my  tale  in  a  few  words,  concluding  by  asking  him  the 
distance  of  a  habitation,  and  the  possibility  of  my  reaching 
it;  if  he  could  bring  assistance  that  day,  and  promising  that 
he  should  be  rewarded  for  his  kindness.  '  In  a  few  hours,' 
said  he,  '  I  can  return  with  assistance,  as  the  next  rancho,  or 
hut,  is  but  little  more  than  a  league.'  He  then  expressed 
his  surprise  at  my  providential  escape,  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  on  his  breast,  praised  St.  George  as  my  special  pre- 
server,- said  I  was  fortunate  in  speaking  the  language  so 
fluently,  and  that  I  was  greatly  so  in  being  discovered  by 
him,  whose  mother,  he  said,  lived  at  the  nearest  cottage, 
whither  I  should  be  conveyed.  He  said  if  I  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  savages,  they  would  certainly  have  de- 
spatched me,  for  they  were  merciless  and  ferocious.  '  But 
first,'  added  he,  '  I'll  bring  you  something  to  eat,  for  you 
look  half  starved.'  In  about  an  hour  he  reappeared,  bring- 
ing a  warm  sausage  and  some  mouldy  bread,  wrapped  up  in 
a  towel.  I  greedily  seized  it,  thinking  I  could  devour  it  at 
once,  but  was  disappointed  to  find   I  could  not  swallow  a 


CONVEYED    TO    A    PLACE    OF    SAFETY.  109 

mouthful,  my  throat  being  contracted,  close,  and  sore.  As 
he  was  planning  the  means  of  my  removal,  I  left  it  wholly 
to  his  care,  and  only  requested  to  be  conveyed  to  a  place  of 
shelter  and  safety.  He  then  made  his  lasso,  a  line  of  green 
hide,  with  which  they  catch  wild  horses,  fast  to  the  handle 
of  the  largest  trunk,  and  drove  off.  Shortly  after  he  had 
gone,  a  savage,  or  Guacha,  of  a  fierce  and  murderous  coun- 
tenance, rode  up,  alighted  from  his  horse,  and  roughly  asked 
who  I  was.  I  replied,  'A  shipv/recked  seaman.'  'Are  you 
the  captain  ? '  'No,'  I  answered,  'I  was  the  mate,  and  had 
previously  been  discovered  by  a  person  who  had  just  left 
me  to  return  with  assistance,'  He  asked  me  the  road  he 
took.  I  told  him,  when  he  sprang  upon  his  horse  and  gal- 
loped off  in  the  direction  the  other  had  taken. 

"  He  soon  after  reappeared  at  the  cask,  with  some  others, 
seemingly  with  a  resolution  of  putting  me  to  instant  death  : 
but,  most  happily,  the  reappearance  of  my  deliverer,  w^ith 
his  father  and  several  skives,  compelled  them  to  alter  their 
design,  and  they  went  off  to  plunder,  abandoning  their  hor- 
rid purpose.  My  friend  advised  me  to  permit  him  to  dress 
me  in  some  clothes  from  a  passenger's  trunk,  which  they 
then  broke  open,  alleging  that,  in  my  present  appearance,  I 
should  be  taken  for  a  common  sailor,  and  that,  clothed  in  a 
decent  manner,  I  should  gain  among  tliem  more  advantage, 
respect,  and  comfort.  I  accordingly  suffered  the  painful 
operation  of  dressing,  but  my  leg,  being  so  greatly  swelled, 
prevented  my  getting  over  it  any  thing  but  a  pair  of  loose 
drawers.  I  also  got  on  a  surtout  and  waistcoat.  I  was 
then  with  difficulty  lifted  upon  the  back  of  a  horse,  and  my 
discoverer  got  up  before  me.  Holding  on  to  hiiu,  I  had 
strength  sufficient  to  keep  myself  in  an  upright  position.  I 
had  just  been  seated  on  the  back  of  the  animal  when  the 
general,  (Ortigues,)  who  commanded  the  troops  in  that 
quarter,  came  up  with  a  guard  of  soldiers  and  several 
others. 

"  We  arrived,  at  last,  near  dusk,  at  a  small  cottage.  A 
number  of  large  dogs  gave  notice  of  our  approach,  but  were 
soon  silenced  by  my  companions,  who  assisted  me  gently  to 
dismount.  I  was  welcomed,  with  many  blessings,  by  the 
old  woman,  carried  into  the  house,  seated  in  a  chair,  and 
stripped  of  my  wet  clothes,  and  put  into  as  good  a  bed  as 
10 


\ 


110 


MR.  GEORGE  FRACKER  S  NARRATIVE. 


the  hut  afforded.  This  rancho  was  a  small  place  of  only 
one  apartment,  built,  like  all  others,  of  cane,  fastened  to- 
gether with  strips  of  green  hide,  plastered  with  mud,  and  a 
thatched  roof.  A  fowl  was  killed  by  the  old  woman,  and 
some  good  broth  made  and  given  me.  After  this,  my  leg 
was  washed  with  hot  vinegar,  and  my  wounds  dressed  as 
well  as  circumstances  would  admit.  I  considered  myself  as 
peculiarly  fortunate  in  falling  into  the  hands,  and  being 
under  the  care  of,  one  of  those  alleviators  of  calamity, 
those  indispensable  attendants  of  the  bed  of  sickness,  where 
is  developed  the  most  estimable  and  endearing  traits  of 
character,  usefulness,  patience,  and  compassion,  —  a  hos- 
pitable old  woman.  During  the  night  I  drank  a  great 
quantity  both  of  wine  and  water.  The  old  woman  had 
wrapped  two  junk  bottles,  filled  with  boiling  water,  and 
placed  them  against  my  feet,  at  the  foot  of  the  bed.  My 
feet  were  much  swollen  and  wrinkled,  and  almost  without 
feeling.  The  sudden  application  of  artificial  heat  to  the 
blood,  though  well  intended,  had  a  most  pernicious  effect, 
stagnating,  corrupting,  and  destroying  its  natural  tempera- 
ture, and  causing  great  pain  :  its  effects  were  felt  for  many 
months  afterwards.  This  night  I  slept  but  little.  The  rays 
of  the  sun,  breaking  into  the  room,  announced  the  morning 
of  the  Sabbath,  and  I  could,  in  truth,  hail  it  as  a  welcome 
and  sweet  day  of  rest. 

"  I  now  took  a  view  of  the  apartment  and  furniture.  The 
room  was  partly  separated  by  a  partition  of  cane-poles ;  in- 
side of  which  slept  the  old  woman  and  her  two  younger 
sons,  upon  the  floor,  as  there  was  but  one  bedstead,  upon 
which  I  lay.  Her  eldest  son,  my  discoverer,  lay  near  me, 
wrapped  up  in  his  pauncho  or  blanket.  At  the  farther  end 
of  the  hovel  was  kept  constantly  burning,  upon  a  table,  on 
each  side  of  a  crucifix,  two  candles,  which  is  an  invariable 
custom  when  any  one  lies  dangerously  sick.  A  separate 
hut  for  the  kitchen  was  built  outside.  The  furniture  con- 
sisted of  a  few  hide-bottomed  chairs,  some  hide  sacks  and 
baskets,  a  hide  sieve,  and  a  few  other  articles,  of  which  hide 
was  the  principal  material. 

*'  The  next  day  the  general  again  came,  bringing  with  him 
several  bottles  of  wine  and  cordial,  taken  from  the  beach. 
I  desired  him  to  inform  me  if  it  was  possible  to  send  a  let- 


HORRID    APPEARANCE    OF    THE    INDIANS.  Ill 

ter  to  Monte  Video.  He  replied  that  it  was  difRcult,  as 
there  was  but  Httle  intercourse,  but  that  he  knew  of  a  patriot 
officer,  who,  having  a  passport,  would,  in  a  few  days,  go  to 
the  city.  I  therefore,  next  day,  procured  of  the  old  woman 
materials  for  writing,  and  a  chopping-block ;  this  I  placed 
between  my  legs  on  the  bed,  covering  it  with  a  piece  of 
baize,  and  commenced  writing.  It  was  a  tedious  business, 
and  I  could  sit  up  no  longer  than  to  write  one  line  at  a 
time.  I,  however,  finished  this  necessary  duty,  and  wrote 
two  letters,  one  directed  to  W.  P.  White,  Esq.,  who  was 
the  only  person  I  was  acquainted  with  in  Monte  Video,  and 
another  to  the  owners,  in  Buenos  Ayres.  These  I  gave 
to  the  general,  who  in  two  days  forwarded  them  to  the 
capital. 

*'  My  discoverer,  Pedro,  was  employed  this  day,  with  two 
slaves,  in  recovering  some  articles  and  provisions  from  the 
beach,  which,  he  said,  was  now  covered  with  natives,  break- 
ing open  trunks,  chests,  and  bales  of  goods;  staving  in 
casks  of  wine,  when  any  wanted  to  drink,  and  exhibiting  a 
confused  scene  of  plunder,  fighting,  and  wanton  waste. 

"  The  Indians  here  are  generally  of  great  size,  long  black 
hair,  hanging  like  snakes  down  their  shoulders,  long  bushy 
beards  and  mustaches ;  a  coarse  blanket  wrapped  round  the 
middle,  and  another,  with  a  hole,  through  which  they  thrust 
their  heads,  hung  down  their  backs ;  a  turban,  or  handker- 
chief, on  their  heads,  horse-skin  boots,  stripped  from  the 
animal's  leg,  and  worn  raw  into  the  shape  of  the  feet. 
These,  with  a  sword  nearly  a  fathom  long,  in  an  iron  scab- 
bard, gave  them  a  most  horrible  appearance.  They,  in- 
deed, looked  like  demons.  All  wore  large  knives,  stuck  in 
a  sheath  in  their  blanket  behind,  which  they  made  use  of 
for  every  purpose  —  to  kill  cattle,  cut  up  beef,  eat  meat,  and 
stab  their  fellow-creatures.  The  general  came,  in  the  even- 
ing, with  several  soldiers,  and,  at  our  earnest  request,  left  a 
guard  of  three  for  our  defence,  who  were  well  armed. 

"  I  had,  about  this  time,  a  great  many  visitors,  who  all 
considered  me  highly  favored  by  my  patron  saint,  to  whom 
they  attributed  my  '  hair-breadth  'scapes.'  Among  them 
were  many  old  women,  who  came  upon  horseback  from  dif- 
ferent parts  to  barter  their  commodities.  A  consultation 
was  held  among  them  respecting  my  fever,  leg,  and  bruises ; 


112        MR.  GEORGE  FRACKEr's  NARRATIVE. 

and  they  recommended  a  large  leaf  of  an  herb,  which  grows 
in  those  countries,  which,  dipped  in  hot  oil  and  vinegar,  had 
a  wonderful  and  salutary  effect.  Although  the  application 
was  acutely  painful  during  several  nights,  the  swelling  greatly 
subsided,  excepting  about  the  knee.  During  this  time,  I 
could  not  shift  positions  without  great  pain  ;  and  I  could 
instantly  perceive  a  change  of  the  wind  upon  the  least  mo- 
tion, from  electric  pain.  It  was  the  work  of  half  an  hour 
to  turn,  sometimes,  in  bed.  My  appetite  was  raging,  and 
though  I  could  not  get  so  much  as  I  wanted,  owing  ^o  the 
care  of  my  attendants,  I  ate  immense  quantities,  and  drank 
all  that  came  within  my  reach  ;  always  keeping  bottles  of 
liquor  under  my  pillow,  for  my  night's  supply.  I  kept  one 
small  boy  constantly  bringing  water,  of  which,  during  ten 
days,  I  believe  I  drank  fifty  gallons,  besides  half  a  dozen 
bottles  of  cordial,  a  dozen  of  wine,  ten  gallons  of  the  same 
in  a  keg,  and  several  bottles  of  other  liquors,  all  of  which 
Pedro  had  saved  from  the  beach.  I  would  frequently  whistle 
and  sing,  to  beguile  the  pain,  and  the  old  woman  would  ask 
the  reason.  I  told  her  I  sung  to  kill  the  pain ;  but  I  saw 
she  often  thought,  from  my  strange  behavior,  that  my  fever 
and  anguish  had  rendered  me  delirious.  My  apprehension, 
however,  of  the  savages,  in  this  weak  state,  and  nervous 
debility  of  body  and  mind,  gave  me  incessant  anxiety ;  ex- 
pecting every  night  that  they  would  break  in,  and  knowing 
their  merciless  ferocity.  The  constant  barking  of  the  watch- 
ful dogs,  giving  notice  of  their  approach,  sounded  like  a 
summons  bell.  One  night,  when  all  had  retired  to  rest,  and 
the  guards  lay  snoring  upon  the  floor,  the  dogs  set  up  a 
roaring  yell,  and  soon  after  we  heard  the  approach  of  foot- 
steps, and  a  violent  thumping  at  the  door.  Pedro  aroused 
the  guards  and  opened  it,  and  the  guards  and  old  woman 
prepared  for  defence.  I  saw  by  the  moonshine  five  hideous- 
looking  fellows,  armed  with  swords  and  bayonets,  standing 
before  the  door.  A  sharp  parley  ensued  between  them  and 
the  guard.  They  thought  proper  to  make  a  speedy  retreat, 
steahng,  in  their  way,  a  horse  from  the  field. 

*'On  the  eighth  day,  I  was  agreeably  reheved  by  the  arrival 
of  two  clerks,  an  Englishman  and  a  Spaniard,  from  Monte 
Video,  in  consequence  of  receiving  my  letter,  from  the  house 
of  the  consignees,  in  order  to  effect  my  removal  to  the  city, 


DEPARTURE    FOR    MONTE    VIDEO.  113 

and  endeavor  to  secure  some  part  of  the  property.  The 
latter  they  found  totally  impossible,  nothing  of  value  being 
found  on  the  strand,  every  thing  having  been  carried  off  up 
country  by  the  natives.  I  was  extremely  rejoiced  at  their 
appearance,  and  we  concerted  plans  for  my  departure. 
They  slept  one  night  at  the  hut,  and  next  day,  Sunday, 
departed  ;  having  seen  sufficient  of  the  character  of  the 
natives,  and  glad  that  they  had  escaped  the  knives  of  the 
Guachas,  and  vowing  they  would  not  venture  their  lives 
again,  among  such  a  murderous  crew,  for  the  value  of  a 
ship  and  cargo. 

*•  The  cannibals  were  daily  and  hourly  growing  more  in- 
exorable, and  the  danger  every  moment  increased.  I  had 
every  reason  to  believe  that  on  this  night  they  intended  to 
make  a  desperate  attack  upon  the  cottage,  and  to  have  mur- 
dered all  in  their  power,  had  not  the  fortunate  arrival,  at 
about  sunset,  of  the  long-wished-for  cart,  with  a  driver  and 
guide,  both  armed,  put  them  in  fear.  These  w^ere  a  valu- 
able addition  to  our  force,  and  this  night,  during  which  they 
slept  in  the  hut,  I  felt  less  apprehensive  of  danger.  To 
death,  and  to  danger  the  most  terrific,  I  had  been  exposed, 
and  had  faced  them  with  manly  fortitude.  I  had  escaped 
from  wild  beasts,  and  met  the  fury  of  the  elements  without 
shrinking ;  but  the  horrid  prospect  of  having  my  flesh  gashed 
and  lacerated,  and  my  limbs  cut  asunder,  by  the  knives  of 
the  savages,  gave  me  infinite  anguish  ;  and  boiling  with  rage 
and  indignation,  I  could  almost,  at  times,  had  it  been  in 
my  power,  have  made  indiscriminate  destruction,  and,  like 
Samson  of  old,  have  sacrificed  my  life  to  relieve  it  from 
such  a  state  of  torturing  suspense,  and  to  take  revenge  upon 
the  bloodthirsty  ruffians. 

"  The  tenth  day  came,  and  we  were  to  depart.  A  great 
number  of  blankets  and  coverings  were  thrown  over  me 
after  I  was  in  the  cart.  I  shook  the  hands  of  the  kind  old 
woman  and  my  deliverer  most  heartily.  A  crowd  of  rising 
emotions  almost  stifled  my  expressions  of  gratitude,  and 
started  the  tears  of  overpowered  feelings.  I  left  them  with 
fervent  benedictions,  and  we  drove  off  slowly  on  our  way, 
and  arrived  about  two  o'clock  at  the  gates  of  Monte  Video. 
The  novelty  of  the  sight  drew  many  to  the  windows,  as  I 
lay  upon  my  back  in  the  cart,  fairly  exposed  to  their  view 
10* 


■114  MR.    GEORGE    FRACKEr's    NARRATIVE. 

and  wonder.  We  stopped  at  the  house  of  an  English  mer- 
chant, the  consignee,  who  immediately  came  out,  and  with 
many  friendly  congratulations,  assisted  his  slaves  in  carrying 
me  up  stairs. 

"  Here  I  was  confined  for  nearly  twenty  days,  and  my  leg 
was  now  shrunk  and  withered  to  as  great  an  extreme  as  it 
was  swelled  before.  By  unexampled  kindness  I  daily  im- 
proved, and  in  three  weeks  was  able  to  leave  the  room,  and 
sit  outside  the  chamber  upon  the  walk.  One  of  the  owners 
of  the  ship  happening,  at  this  time,  to  be  in  Monte  Video, 
speedily  came  to  visit  me  and  hear  the  account  of  the  loss 
of  his  ship.  When  I  had  finished,  and  when  he  had  heard 
of  the  hospitality  of  the  old  woman  at  the  cottage,  he  im- 
mediately proposed  a  subscription  among  the  merchants  for 
her  recompense  and  relief,  regardless  of  his  own  loss,  though 
he  was  half  owner  of  the  ship,  and  that  uninsured. 

"  While  under  this  hospitable  roof,  all  that  could  con- 
tribute to  alleviate  pain,  every  thing  that  could  add  to  my 
convenience  and  comfort,  kindness,  which  left  not  a  wish 
ungratified,  I  enjoyed  in  its  fullest  extent.  Though  a  dis- 
tressed foreigner,  I  was  treated  as  a  brother ;  and  though  a 
stranger,  ever  welcome  to  their  board.  For  three  weeks, 
while  on  the  bed  of  sickness,  I  was  visited  every  morning 
by  the  worthy  merchant,  who  with  his  own  hands  would 
dress  my  wounds,  thus  emulating  the  example  of  the  good 
Samaritan. 

"  It  would  be  well  if  here  I  could  conclude,  and  if  here 
the  hapless  tale  was  ended ;  but,  as  a  faithful  narrator,  I  am 
constrained  to  give  its  melancholy  sequel.  After  I  had  been 
in  Monte  Video  about  six  weeks,  I  received  the  shocking 
intelligence  that,  on  the  night  of  the  same  day  on  which  I 
left  the  cottage,  the  barbarous  and  merciless  savages  attacked 
and  entered  the  hut  of  the  old  woman,  and  finding  no  oppo- 
sition, as  the  guards  had  gone  to  the  encampment,  plundered 
the  hut  of  all  she  possessed,  wounded  the  slaves  who  op- 
posed them,  and  after  repeatedly  stabbing  my  worthy  de- 
liverer, finished  with  cutting  his  throat  from  ear  to  ear! 
How  just  are  the  words  of  the  poet,  — '  The  ways  of  Heaven 
are  dark  and  intricate.  Man,  puzzled  in  mazes  and  per- 
plexed with  errors,  sees  not  with  how  much  art  the  windings 
turn,  nor  where  the  regular  confusion  ends.' 


ARRIVAL    HOME.  GRATIFYING    RECEPTION.  115 

*'  I  was  now  rapidly  gaining  strength ;  my  leg  I  could 
bear  my  weight  on,  and  after  remaining  here  for  two 
months,  I  was  able  to  take  passage  for  Buenos  Ayres, 
distant  about  a  hundred  and  ten  miles  farther  up,  and  upon 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  I  arrived  there  next  day, 
and  found  a  great  number  of  acquaintance,  who  were  very 
kind  and  friendly.  A  subscription  was  directly  handed 
round  among  the  English  merchants,  by  the  goodness  of 
the  owners,  and  about  four  hundred  dollars  were  subscribed 
and  collected  for  my  benefit.  Two  hundred  dollars  were 
likewise  collected  for  the  relief  of  the  old  woman  at  the 
cottage,  and  about  two  hundred  more  previously  in  Monte 
Video,  and  sent  down  to  her. 

"  I  remained  some  months  in  Buenos  Ayres,  on  account 
of  lameness,  and  sailed  from  thence  July  12th,  1818,  and 
arrived  at  Baltimore  on  the  twelfth  of  September. 

"  On  Sunday  morning,  October  4th,  I  arrived  at  my 
native  place,  Boston,  after  an  absence  of  over  two  years ; 
when  I  fully  experienced  the  truth  of  the  observation,  that 
the  unavoidable  evils  and  misfortunes  of  life  afford,  by  their 
contrast,  a  tenfold  relish  to  its  comforts,  which  are  many, 
but  which  before  were  unprized. 

"  The  meeting  of  relatives  must  be  conceived.  I  will 
only  add,  that,  safe  in  the  embrace  of  parents  and  friends, 
forgotten,  like  a  dream,  were  the  perils  of  the  oceanJ' 


I 


THE     REMARKABLE     NARRATIVE 


SHIP    SEA    FOX, 

Which  was  capsized  by  a  Squall  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean ;  with  the  Sufferings  of  Four  of  the  Crew 
who  were  confined  in  the  Forecastle  three  Days; 
and  their  Kescue  from  this  Perilous  Situation,  by 
cutting  through  the  Deck,  October,  1821. 


^HE  following  remarkable  narrative  will 
be  read  with  much  interest.  The  ship 
Sea  Fox  sailed  from  New  York,  Oc- 
tober 27,  1821,  bound  to  Port-au- 
Prince,  with  twenty  persons  on  board, 
of  whom  eleven  were  passengers.  She 
passed  the  Narrows  in  safety,  and  having 
dismissed  her  pilot  about  noon,  proceeded  on  her  voyage,  — 
the  wind  being  south-west,  and  the  sky  overcast,  during  the 
day  and  night.  As  evening  approached,  her  commander. 
Captain  Wyer,  took  the  usual  precautions,  by  sending  down 
the  royal  masts  and  royal  rigging,  and  taking  in  topgallant- 
sails  ;  he  also  remained  himself  on  the  watch  till  twelve  at 
night,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  mate,  and  retired  to 
rest.  The  passengers  were  now  in  the  cabin,  and  four  of 
the  seamen  in  the  forecastle.  All  seemed  secure,  and  the 
ship  was  moving  prosperously  towards  her  destined  port, 
when  she  was  suddenly  struck,  at  twenty  minutes  past 
twelve  o'clock,  by  a  squall.  The  noise  awakened  the 
captain.  He  sprang  upon  deck,  gave  orders  to  let  go  the 
topsail-halliards  and  call  up  all  hands ;  but  in  attempting  to 
let  go  the  spanker-sheet,  he  lost  his  hold,  and  was  precipi- 
tated into  the  waves ;  and  before  either  of  his  orders  could 
be  executed,  the  ship  was  struck  down  on  her  beam-ends. 


UNSUCCESSFUL    SEARCH    FOR    THE    WRECK.  117 

So  unexpected  and  sudden  was  the  catastrophe,  that  only 
three  passengers  had  time  to  escape  from  the  cabin,  and  not 
one  of  the  seamen  from  the  forecastle.  Captain  Wyer  suc- 
ceeded in  regaining  the  ship  ;  but  finding  her  upon  her 
beam  ends,  and  apparently  full  of  water,  he,  with  the  re- 
maining seamen  and  passengers,  cleared  the  boat,  in 
which  they  all  embarked,  and  kept  under  the  lee  of  the 
wreck  until  daylight.  We  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  his 
emotions,  and  those  of  his  companions,  during  those  hours 
of  painful  reflection  and  of  peril.  It  was  no  common  dis- 
aster over  which  they  were  called  to  mourn,  nor  common 
hazard  to  which  they  were  now  exposed.  As  daylight, 
however,  approached,  they  providentially  discovered  a  ship 
to  the  southward,  which  proved  to  be  the  Iris,  Captain 
Smith,  of  New  York,  by  whom  they  were  observed  and 
taken  up.  Captain  Smith  turned  his  course  towards  the 
wreck,  but  perceiving,  on  coming  near,  that  the  sea  made  a 
complete  breach  over  it,  he  concluded  it  would  be  fruitless 
to  attempt  saving  any  thing.  Captain  Wyer,  with  his  com- 
panions, was  soon  put  on  board  a  schooner  from  Philadel- 
phia, which  landed  them  at  Tarpaulin  Cove  the  second  day 
after  their  disaster.  When  she  upset,  her  topsails,  courses, 
spanker,  and  jib,  were  set.  No  axe  was  to  be  had  to  cut 
away  the  masts.  The  deck  load  consisted  of  two  hundred 
barrels  of  provisions,  and  lumber.  The  dead  lights  not 
being  in,  the  water  rushed  with  great  violence  into  the 
cabin.  There  were  lost  Mr.  Easterbrook,  wife,  and  two 
children.  Miss  Dawson,  of  New  York,  and  servant,  and  two 
other  passengers.  The  night  was  uncommonly  dark,  and 
the  sea  rough.  Mr.  Dawson,  who  escaped  from  the  cabin, 
but  attempted  in  vain  to  bring  out  his  sister,  got  into  the 
mizzen-chains,  where  he  remained  till  the  morning. 

The  account,  which  was  immediately  published,  of  the 
loss  of  the  Sea  Fox,  excited  in  New  York  very  uncommon 
interest,  and  not  a  little  anxiety.  It  was  suggested  by 
some,  that  a  part  of  the  passengers  in  the  ship  might  pos- 
sibly be  alive ;  and  large  sums  were  offered  for  the  bodies 
of  those  on  board,  whether  dead  or  alive.  Two  pilot  boats 
were  immediately  despatched  in  search  of  the  wreck ;  but 
they  returned  into  port  without  having  so  much  as  discov- 
ered it;  and  all  hopes  were  relinquished  of  again  hearing 


r 


118  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SEA    FOX. 

from  those  left  on  board.  But  there  is  nothing  too  hard 
for  God  to  effect ;  and  to  his  good  providence  must  we 
ascribe  it,  that  any  were  in  the  mean  time  saved  from 
perishing. 

It  has  been  already  noted,  that  there  were  four  seamen 
in  the  forecastle  of  the  Sea  Fox  when  she  capsized.  They 
had  been  but  a  short  time  below  when  the  disaster  occurred. 
Aware  of  their  situation,  they  flew  to  the  scuttle,  and  made 
a  desperate  attempt  to  remove  the  booby  hatch,  but  in  vain  ; 
the  sea  was  against  it,  and  the  water  pouring  in  on  every  side: 
within  a  few  minutes  it  became  necessary  to  use  the  greatest 
exertion  to  keep  from  drowning.  They  were  enveloped  in 
perfect  darkness,  sometimes  under  water,  with  no  space  of 
air  to  breathe  in,  and  nothing  before  them  but  the  prospect 
of  immediate  death.  After  a  few  struggles,  their  minds 
were  filled  with  indescribable  horror.  In  this  situation  they 
all  cried  unto  God  for  help.  He  heard  their  supplication, 
and  directed  them  to  the  bulk-head  of  the  forecastle,  where 
they  found  two  of  the  planks  loose  enough  to  be  removed, 
and  the  cargo  so  much  shifted  to  the  leeward,  as  to  leave  a 
space  sufficient  for  them  to  pass  into  the  hold.  After  being 
here  for  some  time,  in  total  darkness,  one  of  them  having  a 
knife,  they  cut  a  hole  through  the  deck,  which  admitted  a 
few  rays  of  light,  but  not  enough  to  discover  any  thing 
which  they  could  obtain  to  eat.  They  then  gave  themselves 
to  incessant  and  united  prayer  to  God,  until  they  became 
extremely  weak  through  want  of  food  and  sleep. 

Providentially,  the  hatch  was  about  this  time  removed 
from  the  small  hatchway,  which  enabled  them  to  descry  a 
barrel  of  flour  and  a  keg  of  lard  within  their  reach.  To 
these  they  got  access,  and  in  some  measure  satisfied  their 
hunger.  They  had  now  been  struggling  for  two  days  and 
nights,  without  food  or  rest,  in  almost  total  darkness,  and  at 
no  time  with  more  than  two  feet  of  air  above  the  water. 
They  continued  still  to  agonize  in  prayer,  but  on  the  third 
day  nature  seemed  near  being  exhausted ;  it  was  believed 
impossible  for  them  to  remain  there  much  longer  alive. 
Before  resigning  themselves  into  the  arms  of  death,  they 
agreed  to  unite  in  one  more  prayer  to  Almighty  God  for 
some  relief.  They  did  so,  and  while  thus  engaged,  one  of 
them  says  to  his  companions,  "  The  Lord  has  heard  our 


(i , 


'f,-^!' 


/V-, 


S      (' 


f: 


I  I 


vv 
'I  I'll,; 


THE  FOUR  MEN  ARE  RESCUED.  121 

supplications,  and  will  take  us  out  of  this  place.  Continue 
in  prayer,^'' 

While  thus  engaged,  they  actually  heard  the  voices  of 
persons  on  board  ;  upon  this,  they  ran  a  stick  through  the 
hole  which  had  been  cut,  and,  exerting  all  their  remaining 
strength  to  make  a  noise,  succeeded  in  attracting  the  notice 
of  those  who  had  boarded  the  wreck.  Axes  were  immedi- 
ately brought,  and  by  cutting  a  hole  in  the  deck,  these  four 
men  were  rescued  from  death,  after  being  confined  in  the 
most  fearful  situation,  from  about  one  o'clock  on  Saturday 
night,  till  five,  P.  M.,  of  the  following  Tuesday. 

The  individuals,  to  whom  they  were  immediately  indebted 
for  this  deliverance,  were  a  part  of  the  crew  of  the  ship  John 
and  Adam,  Captain  Knight,  bound  to  Philadelphia.  By 
Captain  Knight,  and  afterwards  by  the  citizens  of  Philadel- 
phia, they  were  treated  with  much  kindness  and  hospitality. 
The  citizens  of  New  York  also  made  a  valuable  donation  to 
Captain  Knight  and  his  crew,  for  the  humanity  which  they 
exhibited.  But  the  pious  mind  will  perceive  that  a  remark- 
able Providence  directed  the  whole  affair.  Is  it  not  very 
remarkable  that  the  Sea  Fox  should  have  lain,  for  so  long  a 
time,  on  her  beam  ends  without  sinking  ?  Is  it  not  equally 
so,  that  four  seamen  were  allowed  air  sufficient  to  breathe 
in  ?  that  they  found  their  way  into  the  hold  and  possessed 
themselves  of  necessary  food  ?  and  that  the  crew  of  the 
John  and  Adam  came  to  their  assistance  at  the  most  critical 
moment  ? 

This  narrative  affords  an  example  in  favor  of  committing 
our  interests  to  God  in  prayer.  He  observes  the  character 
and  circumstances  of  all  men,  and  he  has  pledged  himself 
to  hear  their  fervent  and  persevering  supplications.  He  did 
hear  the  cry  of  the  four  seamen  imprisoned  in  the  hold  of 
the  Sea  Fox  ;  and  it  is  charitably  hoped,  that  so  great  a  de- 
liverance will  not  fail  to  make  a  solemn  and  durable  impres- 
sion upon  their  minds.  But  who,  that  reads  this  account, 
will  not  acknowledge,  and  deeply  feel,  that  it  is  the  privi- 
lege of  all  men,  and  of  himself  in  particular,  to  render  unto 
God  the  homage  which  is  his  due  ?  It  is  God  who  can  pre- 
serve us  in  safety  amidst  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  and  of  the 
land.  Let  the  mariner,  who  is  exposed  to  a  thousand  acci- 
dents and  to  sudden  death,  think  of  this ;  let  him  make  the 
11 


122 


THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SEA    FOX. 


God  of  the  ocean  his  friend,  and  he  will  have  no  occasion 
to  fear ;  let  him  secure  to  himself  the  anchor  of  the  Chris- 
tian's hope,  and  no  tempest  will  ever  prevent  his  reaching 
the  destined  port  of  everlasting  bliss. 


I 


1 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  LOG-BOOK 

OF    THE 

SHIP    OGLETHORPE, 


Which  was  struck  by  Lightiiing,  during  a  Voraoc 
from  Sayanuah  to  Liverpool;  being  an  Account 
of  the  Proceedings  on  Board  of  that  Vessel,  when 
on  Fire,  December,  1818. 


N  the  preservation  of  the  Oglethorpe,  Cap- 


tain Jayne,  which  was  struck  by  Hght- 
ning  and  set  on  fire,  we  may  see,  in  the 
most  striking  manner,  the  wonders  which 
may  be  effected,  through  God's  blessing, 
by  skill,  and  union,  and  resolute,  perse- 
This  ship  must   have 


124        PROCEEDINGS    ON    BOARD    OF    THE    OGLETHORPE. 


had  an  excellent  commander,  and  a  steady,  orderly,  obedi- 
ent crew.  From  this  instance  seamen  may  learn  never  to 
despair. 

This  ship  sailed  from  Savannah  for  Liverpool,  December 
16,  1818.     The  following  is  an  extract  from  her  log-book. 

''  Saturday,  Dec.  27,  1818.  These  twenty-four  hours 
commence  with  fresh  breezes  and  squally ;  at  two,  P.  M., 
our  mainmast  was  struck  with  lightning ;  in  about  ten 
minutes,  found  the  ship  to  be  on  fire  ;  called  all  hands, 
took  in  all  sail  but  the  close-reefed  maintopsail,  and  laid 
the  ship  to,  with  her  head  to  the  south ;  all  hands  now 
employed  clearing  out  the  steerage,  if  possible,  to  get  at 
the  fire  ;  got  up  the  small  bower  cable,  and  many  other 
things,  in  order  to  break  out  cotton,  which  we  found  very 
difficult  to  do.  At  three  o'clock,  sent  a  man  aloft  to  look 
out,  who  returned  in  a  few  minutes  and  saw  nothing;  we 
then  commenced  to  hoist  out  cotton  on  deck.  At  half 
past  three  o'clock,  was  so  stifled  with  smoke  we  were 
obliged  to  retreat  from  between  decks,  —  at  this  time  it 
appeared  almost  impossible  to  save  the  ship,  —  shut  the 
cabin,  gangway,  and  steerage  hatch.  All  communication 
with  the  cabin  was  prevented  by  smoke.  Called  all  hands 
aft,  and  told  them  they  must  be  collected,  and  now  prepare 
the  boat  to  leave  the  ship.  Sent  a  man  aloft,  who  descried 
a  sail  apparently  standing  down  for  us ;  set  our  ensign, 
union  down,  at  the  main-topgallantmast-head,  it  blowing  a 
gale,  accompanied  with  heavy  rain.  At  half  past  four,  the 
boat  was  ready  for  hoisting  out,  with  some  provisions,  com- 
pass, charts,  quadrant,  and  many  little  things  that  would  be 
useful.  We  now  assembled  together  on  the  quarter-deck, 
as  then  it  appeared,  for  the  last  time,  to  consult.  The  crew 
were  very  steady,  and  executed  their  orders  promptly.  The 
decks,  in  a  line  directly  across  the  ship,  now  became  so 
heated  that  the  pitch  began  to  ooze  out  from  the  seams  of 
the  decks.  We  supposed,  from  appearances,  that  the  plank 
was  nearly  burnt  through ;  suggested,  at  this  time,  the  only 
and  last  resort,  to  cut  holes  through  the  deck  and  pour 
water  down,  in  which  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  succeed. 
From  side  to  side  we  found,  from  the  upper  to  the  lower 
deck,  the  ship  entirely  in  flames ;  and  it  was  with  the  great- 
est difficulty  we  could  prevent  it  from  communicating  on 
deck  through  the  holes.     At  five,  we  now  perceived  the  fire 


THE    FIRE    EXTINGUISHED.  125 

had  abated  in  some  measure.     On  the  larboard  side,  it  being 
to  leeward;  the  water  had  run  to  more  advantage. 

"  We  then  got  the  ship  before  the  wind  for  a  short  time, 
and  found  that  we  had  cut  the  holes  from  the  side  directly 
over  the  principal  line  of  the  fire  ;  being  guided  by  the  dry- 
ness of  the  deck  and  pitch  rising  from  the  seams.  At  half 
past  five,  we  opened  the  steerage  hatch,  and  found  in  a  short 
time  the  smoke  much  abated  :  we  could  not,  however,  as  yet 
endure  the  smoke,  so  as  to  work  at  the  cotton  in  the  steer- 
age :  we  kept  applying  water  and  cutting  through  the  deck. 
At  six,  lay  to  again,  with  our  head  to  the  south.  No  man 
could  now  remain  but  a  short  time  in  the  steerage ;  by  per- 
severance, however,  we  came  to  the  cotton  that  was  entirely 
on  fire,  at  half  past  six,  and  by  breaking  it  down,  the  bag- 
ging being  burnt  off,  the  smoke  arising  almost  suflfocated  us  ; 
being  obHged  to  pass  up  in  our  arms  the  cotton  on  fire  on 
deck ;  it  blowing  a  gale  at  the  time,  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  we  could  get  the  loose  cotton  overboard,  the  wind 
scattering  it  over  the  ship  fore  and  aft,  which  was  on  fire ; 
and  a  number  of  bales  on  fire  around  and  near  the  ship;  — 
indeed,  she  appeared  to  be  enveloped  in  flames.  We  were 
now  compelled  to  come  from  below,  and  heave  over,  as  fast 
as  possible,  the  cotton  that  was  on  fire  on  the  decks ;  at  the 
same  time,  kept  the  ship  off  nearly  before  the  wind,  to  get 
clear  of  the  cotton  on  fire  and  afloat  around  the  ship,  which 
was  blowing  in  streaks  in  the  air.  At  seven,  hove  to  again, 
having  got  the  decks  clear  and  the  ship  free  of  the  cotton 
on  fire  around  her;  commenced  again  between  decks  break- 
ing cotton ;  the  fire  having  gained  much  during  our  stay  on 
deck,  we  could  but  a  few  minutes  at  a  time  remain  near  it, 
being  almost  strangled  with  smoke  ;  one  man  and  a  boy  gave 
up,  who  were  completely  exhausted  ;  and  all  of  us  at  times 
were  obliged  to  quit  for  air.  Our  situation,  at  this  time,  was 
distressing  indeed.  At  eight  the  smoke  had  much  abated, 
but  the  cotton  we  broke  out  very  much  on  fire.  At  nine 
we  labored  with  great  success,  as  the  smoke  lessened  ;  and 
it  was  apparent  that  we  had  gotten  at  the  worst  of  the  fire. 
This  gave  new  life  to  the  crew,  and  they  exerted  themselves 
to  much  advantage.  At  half  past  nine  it  was  pretty  evident 
we  had  put  the  fire  out,  and  had  all  the  cotton  between 
decks  overboard.  It  blew  at  this  time  a  severe  gale ;  and, 
11  * 


126       PROCEEDINGS    ON    BOARD    OF    THE    OGLETHORPE. 

the  ship  again  being  very  miicli  exposed  from  the  cotton 
on  fire,  on  deck  and  afloat,  blowing  all  around  her,  kept  her 
away  for  about  half  an  hour,  until  we  lost  the  cotton  on 
fire.  Took  in  tiie  close-reefed  main-topsail  and  lay  to,  under 
the  mizzen-staysail,  with  our  head  to  the  south-south-west; 
tried  the  pumps,  and  found  the  ship  had  made  no  water. 
The  fire  being  arrested,  we  now  took  half  an  hour  to  refresh 
ourselves,  and  return  thanks  to  almighty  Providence  for  our 
escape. 

"At  half  past  ten,  we  again  commenced  breaking  out 
cotton,  until  we  had  a  well-founded  hope  that  the  fire  was 
entirely  destroyed.  We  now  commenced  securing,  with 
boards  and  canvass,  the  holes  we  had  cut  through  the  deck. 
At  two,  A.  M.,  we  had  the  decks  as  secure  as  we  could 
make  them.  The  crew  being  very  much  exhausted,  and 
some  of  them  almost  blind,  sent  them  below  to  rest ;  except 
one  man.  At  eight,  A.  M.,  rather  more  moderate  —  called 
all  hands  and  set  the  foresail ;  and  kept  her  before  the  wind. 
On  examining  about  the  mainmast,  we  could  not  perceive 
that  it  was  injured  in  the  least,  or  trace  any  marks  where  the 
lightning  entered  below  the  deck,  or  any  place  where  it  left 
the  ship.  One  of  the  stanchions,  between  decks,  is  burnt 
off;  one  ceiling,  and  about  one  fourth  of  a  beam,  directly 
across  the  ship.  The  lower  deck,  in  one  place,  is  burnt 
throuojh  within  half  an  inch.  Had  the  fire  communicated 
to  the  lower  hold,  the  ship  would  have  been  lost.  So  end 
these  twenty-four  hours.  Employed  all  hands  picking  the 
loose  cotton  off  the  rigging,  the  blocks  being  choked  with 
it  fore  and  aft.  Rainy,  thick  weather,  wind  west,  with  a 
heavy  sea  ;  no  observation.  Since  clearing  up  the  decks,  we 
find  we  shall  miss  about  forty  bags  of  cotton." 


THE    WRECK 


AMERICAN   WHALE-SHIP    MENTOR 

ON    THE 

CORAL  REEFS  OF  THE  PELEW  ISLANDS. 

¥ith  the  Captivity  and  Escape  of  Horace  Holden  and 
Benjamin  H.  Nute,  who,  for  two  Years,  were  Sub- 
jected  to  unheard-of  Sufferings,  among  the  barba. 
rous  Inhabitants  of  Lord  North's  Island;  May,  1832. 

VERY  peculiar  interest  attaches  to  this 
narrative,  both  as  a  case  of  extreme 
and  otherwise  extraordinary  individual 
suffering,  and  as  it  introduces  us  to  a 
condition  of  life,  in  some  respects, 
without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of 
nautical  discovery. 
In  July,  1831,  the  ship  Mentor,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
Edward  C.  Barnard,  master,  sailed  on  a  whaling  voyage 
to  the  Indian  Ocean.  After  touching  at  the  Azores,  she 
doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  passed  through  the 
Straits  of  Madagascar  to  the  Indian  Ocean.  "After  cruising 
among  the  islands,  without  success,  we  endeavored  to  pass 
through  the  Straits  of  Timor,  in  order  to  reach  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  but  were  prevented  by  adverse  winds  and  currents, 
and  accordingly  altered  our  course,  intending  to  touch  at 
Ternate,  the  principal  of  the  Spice  Islands ;  but  we  passed 
it,  running  down  the  Island  of  Mortay,  to  its  furthermost 
point,  and  altered  the  ship's  course  for  the  Ladrone  Islands. 
"  I  must  here  observe  that,  soon  after  leaving  the  Island 
of  Mortay,  there  came  on  a  violent  storm,  which  lasted  the 
whole  of  three  days  and  nights.  During  all  this  time,  we 
were  unable  to  take  an  observation.  This  led  to  the  mel- 
ancholy disaster,  which  was  the  commencement  of  misfor- 
tunes and  sufferings  too  great  to  be  adequately  conceived 
of  by  any  but  those  Avho  experienced  them.     The  violence 


128 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


The  Ship  JMentor  overtaken  by  a  Violent  Storm. 


of  the  storm  compelled  us  to  take  in  all  the  sails  except  the 
topsail,  which  was  close-reefed,  foresail,  and  fore-topmast^ 
staysail. 

•  ''We  were  sailing  in  this  manner,  not  apprehending 
danger,  when,  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  21st  of 
May,  1832,  just  at  the  time  of  relieving  the  watch,  the  ship 
struck  with  great  violence  upon  what  we  afterwards  found 
to  be  the  coral  reef,  extending  to  the  northward  and  east- 
ward of  the  Pelew  Islands.  The  ship  ran  directly  upon  the 
rocks,  and  struck  three  times  in  quick  succession,  the  waves 
dashing  over  and  around  us  with  tremendous  violence. 

"  At  this  awful  moment,  I  was  in  my  berth,  in  the  steer- 
age. When  the  ship  struck  the  third  time,  so  great  was 
the  shock  that  I  was  thrown  from  my  berth  against  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  steerage;  but,  soon  recovering  myself,  I 
rushed  upon  deck.  There  all  was  confusion,  horror,  and 
dismay.  The  ship,  immediately  after  striking  the  third 
time,  swung  round,  so  as  to  bring  her  starboard  side  to  the 
windward,  and  was  in  a  moment  thrown  upon  her  beam 
ends.  While  in  this  awful  condition,  with  the  waves  con- 
tinually breaking  over  us,  threatening  to  overwhelm  us  in  a 
watery  grave,  or  dash  us  in  pieces  against  the  rocks,  the 


TEN  OF  THE  CREW  SWAMPED  IN  THE  BOAT.     129 

captain  came  upon  deck,  and  inquired  of  the  second  mate, 
'Where  are  we?'  The  reply  was,  '  I  don't  know,  but  I 
think  there  is  land  to  leeward.'  There  was  no  time  for 
deliberation ;  it  seemed  that  the  immediate  destruction  of 
the  ship  was  inevitable. 

"  In  the  midst  of  this  confusion  I  heard  the  mate  give 
orders  for  lowering  the  larboard  quarter-boat.  His  directions 
were  immediately  complied  with,  and  ten  of  the  crew  threw 
themselves  into  it,  thinking  it  more  safe  thus  to  commit 
themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  than  to  remain  on 
board  with  the  prospect  of  a  certain  and  speedy  termination 
of  their  existence.  But  there  are  reasons  which  force  upon 
the  mind  the  painful  conviction,  that  their  departure  from 
the  ship,  at  that  time,  proved  fatal  to  them  all.  As  the  oars 
were  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the  boat,  some  one  asked  for 
a  knife,  or  hatchet,  with  which  to  cut  them  loose.  The 
request  was  complied  with ;  and,  quitting  their  hold  upon 
the  ship,  they  parted  from  us,  and  we  never  saw  them 
more ! 

''  As  some  doubts  have  existed  in  the  minds  of  those  in- 
terested in  the  fate  of  our  shipmates,  who  took  to  the  boat 
in  the  manner  just  described,  it  is  deemed  advisable  here  to 
state  my  reasons  for  entertaining  the  opinion  above  express- 
ed. Far  would  it  be  from  me  to  desire  to  extinguish  any 
well-founded  hopes  of  their  having  survived  ;  but  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  following  facts  renders  it  too  certain  that  they 
must  all  have  perished,  soon  after  their  departure  from  the 
ship.  The  next  morning  the  remains  of  a  boat,  in  every 
respect  similar  to  that  in  which  they  embarked,  were  dis- 
tinctly seen  on  the  rocks,  at  the  distance  of  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  ship,  bottom  up,  and  with  her  sides  stove  in.  The 
water  being  clear  and  shallow,  we  could  see  that  she  was 
held  there  by  a  harpoon  and  lance,  which  constituted  a  part 
of  the  fishing  implements,  or  crafts,  in  the  boat  when  she 
left.  These  were  apparently  stuck  into  the  crevices  of  the 
coral  rock,  of  which  the  whole  reef  is  composed,  either  by 
accident  or  design  ;  and  the  presumption  is,  that  she  became 
fast  in  that  place,  and  that  the  waves  swept  that  portion  of 
our  companions  in  suffering  into  a  watery  grave.  But  this, 
though  a  melancholy  subject  of  reflection,  is  not  without 
some  circumstances  of  consolation  ;  for,  admitting  that  they 


130  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

thus  met  their  fate,  they  were  saved  from  that  extremity  of 
suffering  which  some  of  the  ship's  crew  were  destined  to 
experience.  Were  such  a  death,  or  the  pains  of  captivity 
endured  by  my  associates  and  myself,  to  be  the  only  alter- 
natives, I  have  doubted  whether  I  should  not  prefer  the 
former.  To  be  far  from  kindred  and  friends,  among  a 
people  but  one  grade  above  the  most  ferocious  beasts,  sick 
at  heart,  and  deprived  of  necessary  food,  stripped  of  our 
clothing,  and  subjected  to  unheard-of  severities,  —  to  en- 
dure all  this,  was  to  purchase  a  continuance  of  life  at  a  dear 
rate. 

"  Soon  after  the  departure  of  the  first  boat,  the  captain, 
thinking  it  impossible  for  the  ship  to  hold  together  till  morn- 
ing, ordered  his  own  boat  to  be  let  down.  This  could  be 
effected  only  by  the  united  exertions  of  the  whole  of  the 
remaining  part  of  the  crew.  Some  of  the  men,  and  myself 
among  the  rest,  had  resolved  upon  remaining  on  the  ship  to 
the  last ;  and,  considering  it  impossible  for  a  boat  to  live,  we 
earnestly  expostulated  with  the  captain,  for  the  purpose  of 
persuading  him  not  to  hazard  the  experiment.  But  he 
seemed  to  think  it  best  to  make  it,  and  with  great  earnest- 
ness entreated  the  men  to  assist  him  in  lowering  his  boat. 
As  this  was  a  time  when  but  little  attention  could  be  paid  to 
the  distinctions  usually  kept  up  on  board,  I  suggested  that 
it  might  be  well  to  cut  away  the  masts,  believing  that  this 
would  relieve  the  ship,  and  cause  her  to  lie  easier  upon  the 
rock.  This  was  the  more  necessary,  on  account  of  her  po- 
sition being  such  as  to  render  it  next  to  impossible  to  let 
down  the  boat.  The  proposal  was  acceded  to ;  and,  seiz- 
ing an  axe,  I  assisted  in  cutting  away  the  masts  and  rigging. 
This,  to  some  extent,  had  the  desired  effect ;  and  we  were 
enabled,  at  length,  by  great  exertion,  to  lower  the  boat. 
The  captain,  Charles  C.  Bouket,  William  Sedon,  and 
William  Jones,  immediately  placed  themselves  in  it,  and 
commenced  preparing  to  leave  us.  In  compliance  with  his 
request,  a  rope  was  fastened  round  the  waist  of  the  captain, 
so  that,  should  the  boat  be  destroyed,  as  there  was  reason 
to  apprehend  she  would  be,  there  might  be  some  chance  of 
rescuing  him  from  the  waves.  They  were  furnished  with 
the  necessary  nautical  instruments,  log-book,  a  bag  of  cloth- 
ing, a  small  quantity  of  bread  in  a  tin  tureen,  and  a  keg  of 


CAPTAIN    BARNARD    IS    RESCUED    FROM    THE    WAVES.      131 

water.  The  boat  was  at  this  time  suspended  by  her  falls, 
and,  with  a  view  of  letting  themselves  down,  the  captain 
stood  in  the  stern,  and  Bouket  in  the  forward  part  of  the 
boat,  both  having  hold  of  the  falls.  Sedon  still  held  on  by 
the  boat's  lashing.  Jones  had  nothing  in  his  hands.  At 
this  conjuncture,  a  tremendous  sea  broke  into  the  boat  and 
dashed  it  in  pieces ;  —  so  entire  was  the  destruction,  that  not 
a  fragment  was  afterwards  seen.  Jones  was  soon  after  seen 
floating  in  tlie  water,  apparently  dead.  Sedon,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  hold  of  the  boat's  fastenings,  saved  him- 
self by  climbing  into  the  ship.  Bouket,  being  an  expert 
swimmer,  on  finding  himself  in  the  sea,  swam  round  to  the 
leeward  side  of  the  ship,  caught  hold  of  some  part  of  the 
rigging,  and  thus  escaped.  The  captain  was  drifted  away 
to  the  distance  of  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  It 
was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  we  retained  our  hold  on 
the  rope  which  had  been  fastened  to  him ;  but  at  length  we 
succeeded  in  drawing  him  in.  On  hearing  his  cries  for 
assistance,  forgetting  our  own  danger,  we  redoubled  our  ex- 
ertions, and  soon  drew  him  on  board.  He  was  much  ex- 
hausted, but,  fortunately,  had  received  no  fatal  injury. 

"  After  the  failure  of  this  attempt,  and  having  in  so  short 
a  time  lost  one  half  our  number,  it  was  agreed  upon,  after 
due  consultation,  to  remain  upon  the  wreck  till  daylight 
should  reveal  to  us  more  fully  our  situation.  In  this  state 
of  suspense  and  suffering,  we  clung  to  the  rigging,  and  with 
much  difficulty  kept  ourselves  from  being  washed  away. 
Our  situation  and  prospects,  during  that  awful  night,  were 
such,  that  no  ray  of  hope  was  permitted  to  penetrate  the 
dreary  prospect  around  us :  our  thoughts  and  feelings, 
wrought  up  to  the  highest  degree  of  excitement  by  the 
horrors  of  our  situation,  continually  visited  the  homes  we 
had  quitted,  —  probably  forever,  —  and  offered  up  prayers 
for  the  dear  friends  we  had  left  behind.  Every  succeeding 
wave  that  dashed  over  us  threatened  to  sweep  us  into  an 
untried  eternity ;  and  while  we  impatiently  awaited  approach- 
ing day,  we  committed  our  spirits  to  Him  who  alone  could 
control  the  raging  elements." 

At  daybreak,  land  was  seen  at  the  distance  of  twenty 
or  thirty  miles ;  and  this  the  eleven  survivors,  with  a  few 
arms  and  a  small  stock  of  provisions,  in  their  only  remaining 


132 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


boat,  decided  to  attempt  to  reach.  They  left  the  vessel,  and, 
after  rowing  three  miles,  landed  on  a  rock,  presenting  a  sur- 
face of  fifteen  or  sixteen  rods  in  length.  Here  they  remained 
over  night. 

"  We  succeeded  in  taking  an  eel,  a  few  crabs,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  snails.  Having  our  fire-works  with  us,  we  col- 
lected a  sufficient  number  of  sticks,  with  a  few  pieces  of 
drift-wood  which  had  lodged  upon  the  rock,  to  make  a  fire ; 
with  this  we  cooked  our  fish  and  snails ;  and,  with  a  small 
allowance  of  bread,  we  made  what  we  then  thought  a  sump- 
tuous repast !  After  we  had  finished  our  meal,  we  began  to 
prepare  for  the  night.  We  erected  a  tent  with  some  of  our 
clothes  and  pieces  of  canvass,  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
boat ;  and,  when  night  came  on,  a  part  of  our  number  kept 
watch,  and  the  rest  soon  lost  all  consciousness  of  their  mis- 
fortunes in  sleep.  About  midnight  those  who  had  watched 
took  their  turn  at  resting  ;  and  in  the  morning  we  found  our- 
selves considerably  refreshed ;  though  an  increased  activity 
of  our  minds  served  only  to  bring  home  a  more  vivid  picture 
of  the  horrors  of  the  previous  night,  and  of  our  present  con- 
dition." 

At  sunrise,  the  next  morning,  a  canoe,  containing  twenty- 
two  natives,  came  oflf  to  them  from  the  next  island,  from 
which,  it  seems,  they  had  been  watched. 
-  *'  Their  appearance  excited  my  astonishment,  and  I  was 
filled  with  horror  by  the  sight  of  beings  apparently  human, 
and  yet  almost  destitute  of  the  ordinary  marks  of  humanity. 
They  were  entirely  naked.  Each  one  was  armed  with  a 
spear  and  tomahawk;  some  had  battle-axes.  They  were 
fantastically  tattooed  on  diflferent  parts  of  their  bodies. 
Their  hair,  naturally  coarse  and  black,  like  that  of  the  In- 
dians of  America,  was  very  long,  and  hung  loosely  over 
their  shoulders,  giving  them  a  singular  and  frightful  ap- 
pearance. Their  teeth  were  entirely  black  ;  rendered  so, 
as  we  afterwards  found,  by  chewing  what  they  call 
'  ahooak:  " 

The  seamen  were  fortunate  enough  to  open  a  friendly 
communication  with  their  visitors,  who  gave  them  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  bread  made  of  that  fruit,  and  boiled  in  a  liquor 
extracted  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  Their  friendship, 
however,    though,   under    the   circumstances,    much    better 


INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    CHIEFS.  133 

than  their  hostiHty,  proved  to  be  of  a  very  qualified  char- 
acter. They  took  possession  of  all  the  small  stock  of 
rescued  property  which  they  could  find,  part  having  been 
secreted  in  a  crevice  of  the  rock,  and  then,  returning 
to  their  boat,  made  signs  to  the  party  to  follow  to  the 
wreck. 

The  latter  had,  however,  by  this  time,  determined  to  drop 
the  acquaintance,  if  possible  ;  and,  with  this  view,  as  soon 
as  the  savages  were  gone,  took  to  their  boats  and  steered 
for  the  open  sea.  They  were  interrupted  in  their  purpose 
by  the  appearance  of  about  thirty  other  canoes,  filled  with 
natives,  from  whom,  however,  they  succeeded  in  extricating 
themselves,  after  a  Httle  skirmish  with  those  in  one  canoe, 
the  rest  seeming  to  be  more  intent  on  an  examination  of  the 
wreck.  Rowing  all  that  day  and  night,  they  reached  an- 
other island  on  the  following  afternoon. 

Here  they  were  discovered  and  visited  by  two  savages, 
from  a  neighboring  point  of  land,  whom,  exhausted  and  dis- 
pirited, they  consented  to  follow  to  a  harbor  within  sight. 
Approaching  this,  they  were  met  by  a  large  number  of 
canoes,  and  taken  on  shore  in  triumph,  and  not  without 
some  violence,  of  a  kind  and  degree,  however,  which  seemed 
not  so  much  intended  to  injure,  as  to  intimidate. 

In  the  island  in  which  they  were  now  prisoners,  one  of 
the  Pelew  group,  they  were  treated,  on  the  whole,  with  no 
great  severity.  They  were  first  conducted  into  the  presence 
of  the  dignitaries  of  the  island.  These  they  found  seated 
on  a  platform,  on  a  rising  ground,  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  harbor.  This  platform  was  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  square, 
and  was  situated  between  two  long  buildings,  called  pyes, 
"  These,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  were  used  by  the  chiefs 
as  places  of  carousal,  and  as  a  sort  of  harem  for  their  wo- 
men. They  were  constructed  in  a  rude  manner,  of  bam- 
boo sticks,  and  covered  with  leaves.  They  were  sixty  or 
seventy  feet  in  length,  and  about  twenty-four  in  width. 

"  That  something  hke  a  correct  conception  of  this  scene 
may  be  formed  by  the  reader,  it  may  be  well  to  give,  in  this 
place,  a  brief  account  of  the  appearance,  manners,  and 
customs,  of  the  natives  of  this  island.  This  was  the  island 
known  to  navigators  as  Baubelthouap,  the  largest  of  the 
group  of  the  Pelew  islands.  It  lies  not  far  from  the  eighth 
12 


134 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


degree  of  north  latitude,  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  in  length,  and  contains  probably  not  far  from  two 
thousand  inhabitants. 

''  The  men  were  entirely  naked.  They  always  go  armed, 
in  the  way  before  described,  and  carry  with  them  a  small 
basket,  containing  generally  the  whole  amount  of  their 
movable  property.  The  women  wear  no  other  clothing 
than  a  sort  of  apron,  fastened  to  the  waist  by  a  curiously 
wrought  girdle,  extending  nearly  to  the  knees,  and  left  open 
at  the  sides.  The  material  of  these  garments  —  if  such  they 
can  be  called  —  is  the  bark  of  a  tree,  called  by  them  'kara- 
maV  This  tree  grows  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  is 
two  or  three  feet  in  circumference.  The  hair  of  both  males 
and  females  is  worn  long ;  it  is  coarse  and  stiff,  and  of  a 
color  resembling  that  of  the  natives  of  North  America. 
They  make  free  use  of  the  oil  extracted  from  the  cocoa- 
nut  ;  with  this  they  anoint  their  bodies,  considering  it  the 
extreme  of  gentihty  to  have  the  skin  entirely  saturated  w^ith 
it.  Their  arms,  and  sometimes  the  lower  parts  of  the  body 
and  legs,  are  ingeniously  tattooed.  Their  complexion  is 
a  light  copper.  Their  eyes  have  a  very  singular  appear- 
ance, being  of  a  reddish  color.  Their  noses  were  some- 
what flat,  but  not  so  flat  as  those  of  the  Africans ;  nor  are 
their  lips  so  thick.  They  are  excessively  fond  of  trinkets. 
It  would  cause  a  fashionable  lady  of  America  to  smile,  to 
observe  the  pains  taken  by  those  simple  daughters  of  nature 
to  set  off  their  persons.  In  their  ears  they  wear  a  sort  of 
ornament  made  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  grass,  which  they  work 
into  a  tassel ;  this  is  painted  and  richly  perfumed.  In  their 
noses  they  wear  a  stem  of  the  kabooa  leaf,  which  answers 
the  double  purpose  of  an  ornament  and  a  smelling-bottle  ; 
and  their  arms,  in  addition  to  being  tattooed  in  the  manner 
above  mentioned,  are  adorned  with  a  profusion  of  shells. 
Our  fair  readers  may  judge  how  much  we  were  amused,  on 
finding  that  the  copper-colored  females  of  the  island  cut  up 
our  old  shoes  into  substitutes  for  jewelry,  and  seemed  highly 
delighted  with  wearing  the  shreds  suspended  from  their 
ears." 

A  block  for  beheading  stood  before  the  platform,  and  the 
question  discussed  seemed  to  be,  whether  it  should  do  its 
oflice  for  the  strangers.     The  wailing  of  the  women,  which 


AN    ANGLO-PELEW    CHIEF.  135 

before  long  became  obstreperous,  was  perhaps  decisive  of 
the   issue.       After  an  hour's  suspense, 
a  large  bowl,   richly  ornamented   with 
shells,    was   brought    to    them,    out  of 
which     they    drank     sweetened    water 
from  a  wrought  cup  of  cocoa-nut  shell. 
They  were  then  conducted   to  another 
village,   the  residence  of  a  prophetess, 
who,   they  afterwards  learned,  had  in- 
terfered in  their  behalf,  and  from  whose        Onmmented  Cup. 
house,  on  arriving,  they  received  a  sufficiency  of  palatable 
food. 

Here  an  interesting  incident  occurred.  "  Just  at  the 
time  when  the  servant  of  the  prophetess  brought  out  the 
materials  for  our  repast,  we  observed,  at  a  little  distance,  a 
singular-looking  being  approaching  us.  His  appearance 
was  that  of  a  man  of  sixty.  His  hair  was  long  and  gray, 
unlike  that  of  the  natives.  His  legs,  arms,  and  breast,  were 
tattooed.  His  step  was  quick  and  firm  ;  his  motions  indi- 
cating that  he  felt  himself  a  person  of  not  a  httle  impor- 
tance. His  teeth  were  entirely  gone,  and  his  mouth  was 
black  with  the  use  of  '  kabooa.'  Judge  of  our  emotions  on 
hearing  this  strange  being  address  us  in  broken  English  ! 
His  first  exclamation  was,  '  My  God,  you  are  Englishmen  ! ' 
He  immediately  said,  '  You  are  safe  now  ;'  but  he  gave  us  to 
understand,  that  it  was  next  to  a  miracle  that  we  had  escaped 
being  killed  on  the  water. 

"  This  person  was  by  birth  an  Englishman,  and  had  been 
on  the  island  about  twenty-nine  years.  He  told  us  that  he 
had  been  a  hatter  by  trade,  and  that  his  name  was  Charles 
Washington.  He  had  been  a  private  in  the  British  naval 
service,  on  board  the  Lion  man-of-war.  Cruising  in  those 
seas,  he  had,  while  on  duty,  been  guilty  of  some  trifling 
offence;  and,  apprehending  that  he  should  be  severely  pun- 
ished for  it,  had  left  the  ship,  and  taken  up  his  residence 
upon  the  island.  He  seemed  to  be  contented  with  his  situ- 
ation, and  had  no  desire  to  return  to  his  native  country. 
He  had  attained  to  great  celebrity,  and  was  the  sixth  chief 
among  them.  His  authority  seemed  great,  and  he  exer- 
cised it  with  exemplary  discretion. 

"  Observing  the  provisions  before  us,  he  told  us  that  they 


136 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


were  for  our  use,  and  desired  us  to  partake  of  whatever  we 
preferred.  Seeing  that  we  were  likely  to  be  somewhat  an- 
noyed by  the  crowd  of  young  persons  who  had  collected 
around  us,  he  swung  his  battle-axe  over  their  heads,  and 
giving  them  to  understand  that  we  belonged  to  him,  imme- 
diately caused  them  to  disperse." 

From  this  time,  things  went  on  by  no  means  amiss.  A 
"  pye,"  with  mats  and  other  accommodations,  was  appro- 
priated to  the  use  of  the  party,  and  they  were  regularly 
supplied  with  plenty  of  provisions,  such  as  hogs,  goats,  fish, 
yams,  cocoa-nuts,  bread-fruit,  preserved  almonds,  and  sweet 
potatoes.  At  length,  having  acquired  some  tolerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  language,  they  naturally  used  it  to  open  a  treaty 
of  emancipation,  and,  in  the  sequel,  succeeded  in  persuading 
the  natives  that  it  would  be  for  mutual  advantage  to  release 
them,  in  consideration  of  a  ransom  which  was  promised. 
The  stipulation  was,  that,  should  they  reach  their  homes, 
they  would  send  out  two  hundred  muskets,  ten  casks  of 
powder,  a  corresponding  quantity  of  balls  and  flints,  and  an 
accompaniment  of  beads,  belts,  combs,  and  trinkets.  These 
preliminaries  arranged,  no  difficulty  remained,  except  in 
making  provisions  for  the  voyage.  The  natives  —  having 
consulted  their  prophetess,  implored  the  aid  of  their  divinity, 
and  held  a  solemn  feast  on  the  occasion — entered  cordially 
into  the  plan ;  and  with  their  help  the  ship's  boat  was  re- 
paired, and  a  large  canoe  hollowed  out,  which  proved  to  be 
the  better  sailer.  The  men  collected  the  timber,  and  wrought 
it  with  a  few  old  inch  chisels,  having  neither  auger  nor  gim- 
let, while  the  women  made  mats  for  sails.     Meanwhile  a 

quantity  of  fish  had  been  obtained 
for  the  voyage,  and  the  women 
brought  abundance  of  bread-fruit, 
cocoa-nuts,  and  yams. 

On  the  island  was  an  old  com- 
pass, belonging  to  the  Antelope, 
which  was  wrecked  here  in  1783, 
and  given  to  one  of  the  chiefs,  by 
Captain  Henry  Wilson ;  he  was 
finally  induced  to  part  with  it. 
It  had  become  much  impaired 
by  time  and  improper  usage,  but 


1 

L 

^^H 

■ 

H 

The  Antelope's  Compass. 


THE    RETURN    OF    THE    BOATS. 


137 


served  as  a  tolerable  guide.  So  furnished,  they  put  to  sea 
on  the  27th  of  October,  1832..  The  boats  proved  leaky, 
and  they  returned  the  same  night.  Another  month  having 
been  employed  in  refitting,  they  tempted  the  treacherous 
deep  once  more.  Taking  with  them  three  of  the  natives, 
two  of  them  chiefs,  who,  in  their  confiding  simplicity,  were 
leaving  their  homes  to  go,  they  knew  not  whither,  and  bring 
back  the  stipulated  reward.  The  remaining  three  of  the 
crew  staid  behind  on  the  island  as  hostages. 

"  Seven  of  our  number  now  took  the  canoe,  viz.,  Bouket, 
Sedon,  Andrews,  Hulet,  and  the  three  natives.  Captain 
Barnard,  Rollins,  Nute,  and  myself,  preferred  the  ship's  boat. 
We  were  accompanied  on  our  passage  the  first  day  by  a 
large  number  of  the  natives.  At  night,  as  we  had  then 
succeeded  in  getting  beyond  the  reef,  they  left  us,  and  we 
continued  our  course. 

"  We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  we  had  reasons  for 
regretting  that  we  had  entered  upon  the  perilous  under- 
taking of  navigating  the  waters  of  that  region  in  boats  so 
poorly  adapted  to  the  purposes  we  had  in  view.  There 
came  on  a  violent  storm  of  rain,  the  wind  blowing  hard, 


The  Boat  and  Canoe  overtaken  by  a  violent  Storm. 

and  the  waves  threatening  to  swallow  us,  each  moment  of 
the  night.     To  our  dismay,  the  rudder  of  the  canoe,  owing 
12  * 


138  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

to  the  imperfect  manner  in  which  it  had  been  constructed, 
was  unshipped,  and,  for  a  time,  the  destruction  of  those  on 
board  seemed  inevitable.  Fortunately  we  continued  to  keep 
company.  By  great  exertion  we  made  out  to  replace  the 
rudder  in  the  morning,  and  then  proceeded.  In  the  course 
of  the  day,  the  rudder  was  again  unshipped  ;  but,  with  less 
difficulty  than  before,  we  succeeded  in  fastening  it  to  its 
place  with  ropes,  so  that  it  answered  tolerably  well  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  a  better  one.  Happy  would  it  have  been  for  us, 
if  this  had  been  the  worst  of  the  disasters  of  our  voyage. 
Our  mast  next  went  by  the  board  ;  and  during  the  whole  of 
the  next  night,  we  lay  drifting  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds 
and  waves.  In  the  mean  time  the  canoe  sprung  a-leak,  and 
we  found  it  impossible  to  bail  out  the  water  as  fast  as  it  came 
in.  In  this  extremity  we  lost  no  time  in  shifting  all  our 
lading  into  one  end  of  the  canoe  ;  and  by  tearing  up  our 
old  clothes,  and  stuffing  them  into  the  crack,  we  at  length 
stopped  the  leak.  In  this  sad  plight  we  continued  on,  meet- 
ing with  no  very  serious  accident,  till  the  fifth  day  from  the 
time  of  leaving  the  island ;  when,  just  at  the  setting  of  the 
sun,  owing  to  some  mismanagement,  a  light  puff  of  wind 
capsized  the  canoe !  Fortunately  no  one  was  drowned. 
All  but  three  swam  to  our  boat;  those  who  remained  con- 
tinued through  the  night  to  cling  to  the  canoe.  With  great 
difficulty  we  kept  our  boat  from  being  stove  in  pieces  by 
coming  in  contact  with  the  canoe.  During  all  this  time  it 
rained  very  hard,  and  never  had  we  experienced  a  more  dis- 
mal night.  In  the  morning  we  tried  to  get  the  canoe  right 
side  up ;  but  finding  that  impossible,  we  concluded  to  aban- 
don it  entirely.  We  took  from  it  a  few  cocoa-nuts,  and,  as 
our  last  resort,  all  took  refuge  in  the  boat.  We  saved  the 
compass,  and  did  not  so  much  regret  the  loss  of  the  canoe, 
as  it  had  cost  us  already  an  incalculable  amount  of  anxiety, 
toil,  and  suffering. 

^'  But  new  difficulties  now  stared  us  in  the  face.  Most 
of  our  provisions  had  been  lost,  by  the  upsetting  of  the 
canoe,  and  we  had  but  a  very  small  quantity  of  water.  It 
was  therefore  deemed  expedient  to  divide  among  us  the 
means  of  subsistence  remaining.  We  had  four  cocoa-nuts 
for  each  person,  and  a  few  pieces  over,  which  were  distrib- 
uted equally.     At  this  time  no  objects  were  seen,  except  a 


THEY    ARE    ATTACKED    BY    THE    NATIVES.  139 

few  sea  birds.  We  continued  in  this  condition  for  nine  days 
and  nights,  with  actual  starvation  before  us,  as  the  most  prob- 
able end  of  our  anxieties  and  sufferings.  We  were  about 
settling  down  into  a  state  of  confirmed  despair,  when,  to  our 
inexpressible  joy,  we  discovered  land,  apparently  about  ten 
miles  off.  We  exerted  all  our  remaining  strength  to  reach 
it.  When  within  six  miles,  we  saw,  approaching  us,  a  fleet 
of  eighteen  canoes,  filled  with  the  natives  of  the  small  island 
we  were  approaching. 

"  At  first  the  small  canoes  came  near  us,  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  who  and  what  we  were.  The  appearance 
of  these  natives  was  such  as  to  excite  at  once  our  astonish- 
ment and  disgust.  Like  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  we 
had  left,  they  were  entirely  naked  ;  and,  as  our  subsequent 
experience  proved,  they  were  infinitely  more  barbarous  and 
cruel.  Very  soon  the  large  canoes  came  up,  when  the 
wretches  commenced  their  outrages.  They  attacked  us 
with  brutal  ferocity,  knocking  us  overboard  with  their  clubs, 
in  the  mean  time  making  the  most  frightful  grimaces,  and 
yelling  like  so  many  incarnate  devils.  They  fell  upon  our 
boat,  and  immediately  destroyed  it,  breaking  it  into  splinters, 
and  taking  the  fragments  into  their  canoes.  While  this  was 
going  on,  we  were  swimming  from  one  canoe  to  another, 
entreating  them,  by  signs,  to  spare  our  lives  and  permit  us 
to  get  into  their  canoes.  This  they  for  a  long  time  refused, 
beating  us  most  unmercifully,  whenever  we  caught  hold  of 
any  thing  to  save  ourselves  from  sinking. 

"  After  they  had  demolished  our  boat,  and  kept  us  in  that 
condition  for  some  time,  they  allowed  us  to  get  on  board. 
They  then  compelled  us  to  row  towards  the  land.  They 
stripped  us  of  all  our  clothing  immediately  after  we  were 
taken  in  ;  and  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  our  distress 
in  this  condition,  under  a  burning  sun,  from  the  fact,  that 
before  night  our  shoulders  were  blistered,  by  being  thus  ex- 
posed to  the  heat. 

^'  On  approaching  land  we  discovered  no  habitation  ;  but 
after  going  round  a  point  of  the  island,  we  saw,  near  the 
beach,  a  row  of  small  and  badly-constructed  huts.  We 
were  compelled  to  jump  from  the  canoes  into  the  water  and 
wade  to  the  shore.  By  this  time  the  beach  was  lined  with 
women  and  children,  who  caused  the  air  to  resound  with  the 


t 


140  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

most  horrid  yells  and  screams.  Their  gestures  and  violent 
contortions  of  countenance  resembled  the  frantic  ravings  of 
bedlamites. 

"  The  reception  we  met  with  on  land  was  no  more  agree- 
able than  that  upon  the  water.  Judging  from  the  treatment 
we  had  received  from  the  females  of  the  island  which  we 
had  left,  it  was  hoped  that  the  gentler  sex  would  extend  to 
us  some  proof  of  their  commiseration  ;  but  in  this  we  were 
sadly  disappointed.  If  possible,  they  were  more  cruel  than 
their  inhuman  lords  and  masters.  We  were  soon  separated 
from  each  other,  and  dragged  about  from  place  to  place ; 
our  brutal  captors,  in  the  mean  time,  contending  with  each 
other  to  see  who  should  have  us  as  his  property.  Frequent 
contests  of  this  kind  occurred  ;  in  one  of  which,  during  the 
first  day,  I  was  knocked  down.  The  question  of  ownership 
was  at  length  settled,  and  we  were  retained  by  those  into 
whose  hands  we  had  at  first  fallen.  Some  of  us  were  taken 
to  their  house  of  worship,  called  by  them  Verre-Yarris,  lite- 
rally, God's  house,  where  they  went  through  with  some  of 
their  religious  ceremonies,  and  we  received  a  few  mouthfuls 
of  food,  which  was  the  first  we  had  tasted  through  the 
day." 

The  small  piece  of  land,  on  which  they  found  themselves, 
is  situated  between  the  third  and  fourth  degrees  of  north 
latitude,  and  in  longitude  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  de- 
grees twenty  minutes  east.  It  is  known  to  navigators  by 
the  name  of  Lord  North's  Island :  it  has  hitherto  been  con- 
sidered uninhabited.  This  is  riot  surprising ;  as  the  natives 
said  that  no  white  man  had  ever  visited  the  place ;  though 
it  seemed,  from  the  pieces  of  iron  in  their  possession,  and 
from  other  circumstances,  that  they  had  had  some  communi- 
cation with  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  in  that  quarter  of 
the  world.  Like  many  other  islands  in  those  seas,  this  is 
surrounded  by  a  coral  reef,  which  is  from  an  eighth  to  one 
half  of  a  mile  wide  ;  but  outside  of  the  reef  the  water  is 
apparently  fathomless,  the  water  being  as  blue  as  it  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  ocean  ;  and  the  largest  vessels  may  approach, 
in  many  places,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  beach. 
The  whole  island  rises  so  little  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
that  the  swell  often  rolls  up  to  a  considerable  distance  inland. 
It  is  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  not  far 


[SLAND.  141 

from  half  a  mile  in  width.  This  island,  unlike  the  Pelews, 
is  one  of  the  most  horrible  and  wretched  on  the  face  of  the 
globe.  The  only  product  of  its  soil,  worth  mentioning,  is 
the  cocoa  tree  ;  and  those  are  of  so  dwarfish  and  miserable  a 
growth,  as  to  bear  but  few  nuts.  These  few,  however,  con- 
stitute the  food  of  the  inhabitants,  with  the  exception  of  a 
species  of  fish  caught  occasionally  near  the  shore. 

"  The  complexion  of  these  islanders  is  a  light  copper 
color ;  much  lighter  than  the  Malays,  or  the  Pelew  Island- 
ers ;  which  last,  however,  they  resemble  in  the  breadth  of 
their  faces,  high  cheek  bones,  and  broad,  flattened  noses. 
They  do  not  color  their  teeth,  by  chewing  any  thing,  as 
many  of  those  islanders  do ;  but  their  teeth  are  so  strong 
that  they  can  husk  a  cocoa-nut  with  them  instantly. 

"  The  character  of  the  inhabitants  much  resembles  that 
of  the  island  itself.  Cowardly  and  servile,  yet  most  bar- 
barous and  cruel,  they  combine,  in  their  habits,  tempers, 
and  dispositions,  the  most  disgusting  and  loathsome  features 
that  disgrace  humanity.  And,  what  may  be  regarded  as  re- 
markable, the  female  portion  of  the  inhabitants  outstrip  the 
men  in  cruelty  and  savage  depravity ;  so  much  so,  that  we 
were  frequently  indebted  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  men 
for  escapes  from  death  at  the  hands  of  the  women.  The 
indolence  of  the  natives,  which  not  even  the  fear  of  star- 
vation itself  can  rouse  to  exertion,  prevents  their  undertaking 
the  least  toil,  although  a  little  labor,  well  applied,  might  be 
made  to  render  them  infinitely  more  comfortable." 

"  We  were  captured  and  taken  to  the  island,  December 
6,  1832;  and  on  the  third  day  of  February,  1833,  two 
months,  wanting  three  days,  Captain  Barnard  and  Bartlet 
Rollins  effected  their  escape.  Compared  with  the  re- 
mainder of  our  captivity,  our  privations  and  sufferings,  up 
to  that  time,  were  less  severe.  But  at  no  time  did  we  have 
sufficient  food  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger.  The  very 
crumbs  that  fall  from  an  ordinary  table  would  have  been  to 
us  a  luxury  ;  the  swine  of  America  are  better  fed  than  we 
were,  on  the  most  fortunate  day  of  our  residence  upon  that 
island. 

"  It  was  on  the  day  above  mentioned  that  a  ship  was  dis- 
covered a  short  distance  from  the  island,  and  the  natives 
immediately  collected,  and  prepared  to  go  to  it,  in  order  to 


142  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

obtain  iron,  or  some  other  articles  of  value.  Hope  once 
more  visited  us.  To  escape  was,  of  course,  our  strong  de- 
sire and  intention.  Accordingly,  when  the  canoes  put  off, 
we  attempted  to  go.  Our  savage  masters  interposed  their 
authority,  and  by  menaces  and  blows  prevented  us.  Many 
of  us  were  severely  beaten,  and  all  but  two  were  detained 
by  the  brutal  force  of  the  savages,  ilt  length  Captain  Bar- 
nard and  Rollins,  after  being  severely  beaten,  were  allowed 
to  accompany  the  natives  to  the  ship,  and  succeeded  in 
effecting  their  escape.  Trusting  to  the  humanity  of  the 
captain  and  crew,  we,  for  some  time,  confidently  expected 
that  they  would  contrive  some  way  of  enabling  us  to  join 
them.  They  were  in  sight  about  three  hours ;  at  one  time 
they  were  so  near  that  we  could  distinctly  see  the  hands  on 
board  ;  but  judge  of  our  feelings  when  we  saw  the  vessel 
pursuing  her  course  !  Our  expectations  were  all  blasted  in 
a  moment,  and  our  minds,  which  had  been  gladdened  by 
the  hope  of  once  more  enjoying  the  society  of  civihzed 
beings,  of  once  more  reaching  the  shores  of  our  beloved 
country,  sunk  back  into  a  state  of  despair:  we  wept  like 
children." 

"  After  the  departure  of  the  captain  and  Rollins,  we  were 
treated  with  much  greater  severity  than  we  had  been  before. 
Generally  we  were  aroused  from  our  broken  slumbers  about 
sunrise,  and  compelled  to  go  to  work :  we  were  usually  em- 
ployed in  cultivating  a  species  of  vegetable,  somewhat  re- 
sembling the  yam,  and  called  by  them  'Icoi-ei.^  This  root 
is  raised  in  beds  of  mud,  which  are  prepared  by  digging  out 
the  sand,  and  filling  the  place  with  mould.  The  whole  of 
this  labor  was  performed  with  the  hands.  We  were  com- 
pelled, day  after  day,  to  stand  in  the  mud  from  morning  till 
night,  and  to  turn  up  the  mud  with  our  hands.  Frequently 
we  were  required  to  do  this  without  receiving  a  morsel  of 
food  till  about  noon,  and  sometimes  we  were  left  without 
any  thing  to  eat  till  night.  At  best,  we  could  get  no  more 
than  a  small  piece  of  cocoa-nut,  hardly  a  common-sized 
mouthful,  at  a  time,  and  if,  either  from  exhaustion  or  any 
other  cause,  we  neglected  to  perform  the  required  amount  of 
labor,  our  pittance  of  food  was  withheld  altogether. 

''  From  this  plain  and  unexaggerated  account,  it  will  be 
seen  that  our  condition,  at  best,  was  bad  enough  ;  but  a  mis- 


PAINFDL    OCCUPATION.  143 

fortune  befell  us  which  rendered  it  still  worse.  About  four 
months  from  the  time  of  our  landing  on  that  dreary  spot, 
there  was  a  violent  storm,  w^hich  came  very  near  sweeping 
away  the  whole  of  the  means  of  support  which  remained 
for  the  miserable  inhabitants.  The  wind  blew  down  many 
of  the  best  cocoa  trees,  and  materially  injured  the  fruit  on 
such  as  were  left  standing.  Besides  this,  the  low  places  in 
which  they  raised  the  root,  by  them  called  '  'kore'i^  were 
mostly  filled  with  sand,  and  famine  stared  us  all  in  the 
face. 

^'  They  attributed  this  misfortune  to  the  anger  of  their, 
god,  and  did  not  fail  to  use  such  means  as  they  thought  best 
calculated  to  appease  him  ;  and  the  calamity  greatly  added 
to  our  sufferings.  ,  Besides  subjecting  us  to  still  more  severe 
deprivations,  we  were  compelled  —  though  hardly  able  to 
drag  our  limbs  from  place  to  place  —  to  labor  in  repairing 
the  damage  done  by  the  storm.  We  were  employed  for 
months  in  carrying  in  our  arms  and  on  our  shoulders  pieces 
of  the  coral  rock,  in  order  to  form  a  sort  of  sea-wall  to  pre- 
vent the  waves  from  washing  away  the  trees ;  and  this 
drudgery,  considering  that  we  were  naked,  under  a  burning 
sun,  and  reduced  to  nothing  but  skin  and  bones,  was  too 
severe  to  admit  of  any  thing  like  an  adequate  description. 
Our  flesh,  or,  to  speak  more  properly,  our  skin,  —  for  flesh 
we  had  none,  —  was  frequently  so  torn  by  the  sharp  corners 
of  the  rock,  and  scorched  by  the  sun,  as  to  resemble  more 
that  of  the  rhinoceros  than  of  human  beings. 

"A  new  trial  now  awaited  us.  The  barbarous  beings, 
among  whom  our  lot  had  been  cast,  deemed  it  important 
that  we  should  be  tattooed,  and  we  w^ere  compelled  to  submit 
to  the  distressing  operation.  We  expostulated  against  it  — 
we  entreated  —  we  begged  to  be  spared  this  additional 
affliction  ;  but  our  entreaties  were  of  no  use.  Those  sav- 
ages were  not  to  be  moved,  and  we  were  compelled  to  sub- 
mit ;  and  that  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  painful 
process,  I  will  here  give  a  brief  account  of  it. 

"  We  were,  in  the  first  place,  securely  bound  down  to  the 
ground,  and  there  held  fast  by  our  tormentors.  They  then 
proceeded  to  draw,  with  a  sharp  stick,  the  figures  designed 
to  be  imprinted  on  the  skin.  This  done,  the  skin  w-as  thickly 
punctured  with  a  litde  instrument  made  of  sharpened  fish 


I 


144 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


bones,  and  somewhat  resembling  a  carpenter's  adz,  in  min- 
iature, but  having  teeth,  instead  of  a  smooth,  sharp  edge. 
This  instrument  was  held  within  an  inch  or  two  of  the  flesh, 
and  struck  into  it  rapidly  with  a  piece  of  wood,  applied  to 
it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  it  to  rebound  at  every  stroke. 
In  this  way  our  breasts  and  arms  were  prepared  ;  and  subse- 
quently the  ink,  which  was  made  of  a  vegetable,  found  on 
the  island,  and  called  by  them  the  '  savvan,^  was  applied. 
The  operation  caused  such  an  inflammation  of  our  bodies, 
that  only  a  portion  could  be  done  at  one  time ;  and  as  soon 
as  the  inflammation  abated,  another  portion  was  done,  as  fast 


Mr.  Holden  andergoing  the  Process  of  Tattooing. 

as  we  could  bear  it,  till  our  bodies  were  covered.  It  was 
effectuafly  done ;  for  to  this  day  the  figures  remain  as  dis- 
tinct as  they  were  when  first  imprinted,  and  the  marks  will 
be  carried  by  us  to  the  grave.  They  were  exceedingly 
anxious  to  perform  the  operation  upon  our  faces ;  but  this 
we  would  not  submit  to,  telling  them  that  sooner  than  have 
it  done  we  would  die  in  resisting  them.  Among  themselves, 
the  oldest  people  had  the  greatest  quantity  6f  tattooing,  and 
the  younger  class  less. 

*'  Besides  the  operation  of  tattooing,  they  compelled  us  to 
pluck  the  hair  from  different  parts  of  the  body,  and  to  pluck 


SENT    ADRIFT    IN    A    CANOE.  145 

our  beards  about  every  ten  days,  which  was  extremely  pain- 
ful ;  and  at  every  successive  operation  the  beard  grew  out 
harder  and  stiffer." 

"  About  a  year  after  we  first  arrived  at  the  island,  William 
Sedon  became  so  reduced  as  to  deprive  us  of  all  hopes  of 
his  recovery.  He  looked  like  a  skeleton ;  and,  at  last,  was 
so  entirely  exhausted  by  hunger,  as  to  be  unable  to  walk,  or 
even  to  rise  from  the  ground.  He  continued,  however,  to 
crawl  from  place  to  place,  until  all  his  remaining  strength 
was  nearly  gone,  when  the  inhuman  monsters  placed  him  in 
an  old  canoe,  and  sent  him  adrift  on  the  ocean  !  Gladly 
would  his  unhappy  shipmates  have  extended  to  him  the  last 
sad  offices  of  friendship ;  that  poor  consolation  was  denied 
both  him  and  us !  My  heart  bleeds  at  the  recollection  of 
our  separation  and  his  melancholy  fate  —  when  we  saw  him 
anxiously  turn  his  languid  eyes  towards  those  who  were 
doomed  still  to  linger  on  the  borders  of  the  grave !  Our 
sighs  were  breathed  almost  in  silence,  and  our  tears  were 
shed  in  vain  1 

"  It  may  be  observed  here,  that  it  is  not  their  custom  to 
deposit  the  bodies  of  any  of  their  dead  in  the  earth,  except 
very  young  children.  The  bodies  of  grown  people,  after 
death,  are  laid  in  a  canoe  and  committed  to  the  ocean. 

"  It  was  soon  our  lot  to  part  with  another  of  our  com- 
panions, Peter  Andrews.  He  was  accused  by  the  natives 
of  some  trifling  offence,  and  put  to  death.  The  savages 
knocked  him  down  with  their  clubs,  and  then  despatched 
him  in  the  most  cruel  and  most  shocking  manner.  I  was  at 
this  time  at  a  distance  from  the  place  where  he  was  killed. 
My  master  was  absent ;  and  upon  my  hearing  a  noise,  in 
the  direction  of  the  place  where  the  foul  business  was  trans- 
acted, and  suspecting  that  all  was  not  right,  I  started  to  see 
what  was  going  on.  I  was  near  the  beach  when  I  saw  a 
number  of  the  savages  coming  towards  the  spot  where  I 
stood,  dragging  along  the  lifeless  and  mangled  body  of  our 
comrade  !  One  of  them  approached  me  behind,  and  knocked 
me  down  with  his  club.  The  body  of  Andrews  was  thrown 
into  the  sea,  and  it  seemed  to  be  their  determination  to  de- 
stroy the  whole  of  us.  I  warded  off"  the  blows,  aimed  at  me, 
as  well  as  I  could,  and,  recovering  myself,  ran  towards  the 
hut  of  my  master.  He  had  not  yet  returned ;  but,  fortu- 
13 


146  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

nately,  an  old  man,  who  had  previously  shown  some  regard 
for  me,  and  who  was  the  particular  friend  of  my  master, 
happened,  at  that  moment,  to  be  passing ;  and  seizing  the 
man  who  had  pursued  me,  held  him  fast.  I  escaped  and 
ran  into  the  hut,  and  crawled  up  through  an  aperture  in  the 
floor  into  the  chamber  under  the  roof.  I  seized  an  old  box, 
and  covered  up  the  hole  tlirough  which  I  had  ascended  ;  but 
this  was  not  sufficient  to  detain,  for  any  great  length  of 
time,  the  wretches  who  were  thirsting  for  my  blood.  They 
soon  succeeded  in  displacing  the  box,  and  one  of  them 
seized  me  ;  but  just  as  he  was  pulling  me  from  my  place  of 
refuge,  my  master  returned,  with  several  of  his  friends,  and 
rescued  me  from  the  clutches  of  my  enemies. 

^'  In  the  mean  time  Nute  and  the  rest  of  our  companions 
were  at  the  '  Tahboo/  a  place  of  pubhc  resort,  where,  for 
the  only  time,  the  females  rendered  our  people  any  assist- 
ance. They  concealed  the  men  under  some  mats,  and  kept 
them  there  till  the  fury  of  the  natives  had,  in  a  measure, 
subsided. 

"  We  were  next  called  upon  to  part  with  one  of  the 
Pelew  chiefs,  who  had  come  with  us.  He  died  of  absolute 
starvation,  and,  according  to  custom,  was  committed  to  the 
waves  in  an  old  canoe.  In  a  short  time  after  this,  the  Pelew 
private  —  who  had  also  come  with  us  —  was  detected  in  the 
crime  of  taking  a  few  cocoa-nuts  without  leave  ;  for  which 
offence  he  had  his  hands  tied  behind  him,  and  was  put  into 
a  canoe  and  sent  adrift ;  which  was  their  usual  method  of 
punishment  for  offences  of  different  kinds. 

^'  About  a  year  and  seven  months  from  the  commence- 
ment of  our  captivity,  Milton  Hewlet  died,  and,  like  the 
others,  was,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  natives,  com- 
mitted to  the  ocean.  A  short  time  afterwards,  Charles  C. 
Bouket,  having  become  so  reduced,  by  his  sufferings,  as  to 
be  unable  to  help  himself,  was  (horrible  to  relate!)  placed 
in  a  canoe,  while  still  ahve,  and  committed  to  the  mercy  of 
the  ocean.  Thus  did  one  after  another  of  our  companions 
sink  under  the  weight  of  their  sufferings,  and  perish  without 
any  alleviation  of  their  wretchedness.  Nute  and  myself, 
with  our  friend  Kobac,  the  other  Pelew  chief,  were  all  that 
remained  ;  and  we  were  constantly  expecting  that  the  next 
hour  would  end  our  existence." 


A    SHIP    OFF    THE    ISLAND.  149 

"  I  have  already  said,  that  only  two  of  the  crew  of  the 
Mentor,  namely,  Nute  and  myself,  remained  alive,  with  the 
exception  of  Captain  Barnard  and  Rollins,  who  had  for- 
tunately escaped.  The  Pelew  chief  had  become  strongly 
attached  to  us,  and  we  take  pleasure  in  stating  the  fact, 
that  his  faithfulness  and  affection  had  greatly  endeared  him 
to  us.  He  seemed  more  like  a  brother  than  a  barbarian  ; 
and  most  gladly  would  we  have  saved  him  from  those  suffer- 
ings which,  no  doubt,  before  this  time,  have  terminated  his 
life.  Alas !  it  was  not  in  our  power  to  administer  to  his 
relief;  and  when  we  last  saw  him  he  was  but  just  alive. 

"  Having  thus  briefly  related  the  story  of  our  captivity 
and  sufferings,  it  only  remains  to  give  an  account  of  our 
escape  from  this  barbarous  people.  We  continued  to  sur- 
vive the  horrible  sufferings  to  which  we  were  constantly 
subjected,  and  to  serve  our  tyrannical  masters,  in  despite  of 
our  agonies  of  body  and  mind,  till  the  beginning  of  the 
autumn  of  1834 ;  at  which  time  we  had  become  so  emaci- 
ated, feeble,  and  sickly,  that  we  found  it  impossible  any 
longer  even  to  attempt  to  labor. 

"With  much  difficulty  we  at  length  persuaded  our 
masters  to  allow  us  to  quit  labor,  and  obtained  from  them 
a  promise  to  be  put  on  board  the  first  vessel  that  should 
come  to  the  island.  But,  at  the  same  time,  they  informed 
us,  that  if  we  ceased  to  work,  they  should  cease  to  furnish 
the  miserable  allowance  of  cocoa-nut  on  which  we  had  be- 
fore subsisted,  and  that  we  must  either  labor  or  starve.  We 
deemed  death  as  welcome  in  one  shape  as  in  another,  and 
relinquished  our  labors  and  our  pittance  of  food  together. 

"  We  were  thus  literally  turned  out  to  die  !  We  crawled 
from  place  to  place,  subsisting  upon  leaves,  and  now  and 
then  begging  of  the  natives  a  morsel  of  cocoa-nut.  In  this 
way  we  contrived  to  live  for  about  two  months,  when  the 
joyful  intelligence  was  brought  to  us  that  a  vessel  was  in 
sight,  and  was  coming  near  the  island  !  Hope  once  more 
revisited  our  despairing  hearts,  and  seemed  to  inspire  us 
with  renewed  strength  and  animation. 

"  After  taxing  our  exhausted  powers  to  the  utmost,  we 

persuaded  the  natives  to  prepare  for  visiting  the  vessel ;  and 

throwing  our  emaciated  bodies  into  their  canoes,  we  made 

for  the  ship  with  all  possible  despatch.     The  vessel  proved 

13* 


150 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


to  be  the  British  barque  Britannia,  Captain  Short,  bound  to 
Canton.  Our  reception  on  board  is  faithfully  described  in 
the  following  certificate  given  by  Captain  Short,  the  original 
of  which  is  still  in  my  possession. 

"  '  Lintiii,  29th  December,  1834. 
"  ^  This  is  to  certify,  that  on  the  27th  day  of  November, 
1834,  off  the  small  island,  commonly  called  Lord  North's, 
by  the  English,  situated  in  latitude  three  degrees  three  min- 
utes north,  and  longitude  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  degrees 
twenty  minutes  east,  on  board  the  British  barque  Britannia, 
bound  to  Canton  river,  we  observed  about  ten  or  eleven  ca- 
noes, containing  upwards  of  one  hundred  men,  approaching 
the  vessel,  in  a  calm,  or  nearly  so,  with  the  intention  of  coming 
alongside.  But,  having  the  small  compliment  of  thirteen 
men,  it  was  considered  most  prudent  to  keep  them  off, 
which  was  effected  by  firing  a  few  six-pound  shots  in  a  con- 
trary direction  from  the  boats,  some  of  which  were  then 
within  pistol  shot.  At  the  same  time,  hearing  cries  in  our 
own  language,  begging  to  be  taken  on  board,  the  boat  was 
despatched  away  to  know  the  cause.  The  boat  returned  to 
the  ship,  and  reported  an  American  on  board  one  of  them. 
She  was  then  sent  back,  having  strict  orders  to  act  with 
caution,  and  the  man  got  from  the  canoe  into  the  sea,  and 
was  taken  up  by  the  ship's  boat,  and  brought  on  board.  He 
then  stated  in  what  manner  he  came  there,  and  said  he  had 
another  of  his  countrymen  in  another  canoe.  I  said,  if  we 
could  get  some  of  the  boats  dispersed,  that  every  assistance 
should  be  rendered  for  the  liberty  of  the  other  man.  Ac- 
cordingly they  did  so,  all  but  three.  The  ship's  boat  was 
then  despatched  in  search,  and  soon  found  the  other  man. 
He  was  brought  on  board,  but  in  a  most  deplorable  condi- 
tion, with  fever,  from  the  effects  of  a  miserable  subsistence. 
These  two  poor  fellows  were  quite  naked,  under  a  burning 
sun.  They  appeared  to  bear  all  the  marks  of  their  long 
servitude,  and  I  should  suppose  two  or  three  days  would 
have  been  the  end  of  the  last  man  taken  on  board,  but  from 
this  act  of  Providence.  It  appears  that  these  men  were 
wrecked  in  the  ship  Mentor,  on  the  Pelew  Islands,  and  were 
proceeding  with  their  commander  to  some  Dutch  settlement, 
in  one  of  the  Pelew  Island  canoes,  when  they  got  to  the 


ARRIVAL    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES.  151 

afore-mentioned  island,  and  were  detained  by  the  natives; 
and  that  Captain  Edward  C.  Barnard  had  got  on  board 
some  ship,  and  reached  Canton  river  shortly  after  their  de- 
tention at  the  island ;  which  has  been  confirmed  by  the  dif- 
ferent masters  now  at  the  port  of  Lintin. 

'Henry  Short,  Barque  Britannia.'* 

"  Never  shall  we  find  words  to  express  our  joy  at  once 
more  finding  ourselves  in  the  company  of  civiHzed  men  ! 
Nor  can  we  be  too  grateful  to  Captain  Short,  and  his  offi- 
cers and  crew,  for  their  kind  attentions  during  our  passage 
to  Lintin.  Every  thing  in  their  power  was  done  to  restore 
our  health  and  strength,  and  to  render  us  comfortable.  On 
arriving  at  Lintin  we  found  ourselves  sufficiently  recovered 
to  be  able  to  pass  up  the  river  to  Canton.  We  remained 
there,  at  the  factories,  under  medical  treatment,  until  the 
ship  Morrison,  of  New  York,  was  ready  to  sail ;  when  we 
took  passage  in  her  for  our  native  countiy,  and  arrived  in 
New  York  on  the  5th  day  of  May,  1835." 

"  The  whole  ship's  company  of  the  Mentor  consisted  of 
twenty-two ;  viz.,  Edward  C.  Barnard,  captain ;  Thomas 
M.  Colesworthy,  first  mate  ;  Peter  O'Connor,  second  mate  ; 
Benjamin  F.  Haskell,  David  Jenkins,  and  Jacob  Fisher, 
boat-steerers ;  Peter  Andrews,  steward;  John  Mayo,  cook; 
and  Horatio  Davis,  Bartlet  Rollins,  William  Jones,  Thomas 
Taylor,  Lewis  Bergoin,  Charles  C.  Bouket,  Calvin  Alden, 
Milton  Hulet,  William  Sedon,  James  Meder,  James  Black- 
more,  John  Baily,  Benjamin  H.  Nute,  and  Horace  Holden, 
seamen." 

The  community  of  men,  if  they  are  to  be  called  so,  on 
Lord  North's  Island,  into  which  the  unfortunate  mariners 
were  thrown,  was  insulated  from  the  world,  on  a  spot,  as 
was  mentioned  above,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  and 
about  half  a  mile  wide.  The  number  of  inhabitants,  dis- 
tributed into  three  small  villages,  Holden  thinks,  might 
amount  to  between  three  and  four  hundred.  Here,  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  race,  they  had  lived,  generation  after 
generation,  —  no  man  may  guess  how  long.  They  had  no 
traditions  touching  the  first  settling  of  their  island.  For 
aught  they  had  heard,  their  ancestors  may  have  occupied 
the  spot  for  thousands  of  years ;  the  increase  of  population 


152  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 

being  kept  down  by  the  recurrence,  at  intervals,  of  a  like 
pressure  of  famine  to  that  which  reduced  it,  not  much  less 
than  a  quarter,  as  was  thought,  during  the  time  our  seamen 
were  there.  As  far  as  could  be  learned,  they  knew  nothing 
of  any  other  human  beings,  except  from  some  rare  commu- 
nications with  European  ships  under  sail ;  in  bartering 
cocoa-nuts  for  iron  ;  and  from  three  visits  of  strangers ;  the 
memory  of  which  was  preserved  by  tradition,  as  having 
taken  place  at  distant  times.  One  of  these  was  of  a  man 
copper-colored  like  themselves,  and  named  by  them  Peeter 
Kart,  who,  they  declared,  came  anciently  to  their  island  from 
Ternate,  as  he  said  ;  taught  them  their  religion  and  arts,  and 
closed  his  life  among  them.  Another  of  these  stories  re- 
lated to  an  individual  who,  they  reported,  arrived  alone  from 
a  different  island  at  tlie  north-west,  brinn^ina^  a  basket  of  the 
tarrow  root,  which  he  taught  them  to  cultivate.  He,  too, 
finished  his  days  on  the  island.  The  third  tradition  com- 
memorated three  tnen  and  three  women,  who  came  in  a 
canoe,  from  yet  another  direction,  and  after  a  time  departed, 
taking  three  of  the  islanders  in  their  company. 

The  island  is  a  coral  rock,  with  only  a  sprinkling  of  sandy 
soil ;  in  this  grow  some  trees  of  the  bread-fruit  and  cocoa- 
nut.  The  only  thing  cultivated  was  what  the  natives  called 
correi,  an  inferior  species  of  the  tarrow  root,  which  makes 
so  common  a  food  in  the  whole  region  of  Polynesia.  It  was 
cooked  in  a  smothered  fire,  made  in  a  kind  of  oven,  in  a 
shallow  cavity,  scooped  out  for  the  purpose.  Fuel  was  laid 
at  the  bottom  and  kindled ;  and  upon  this  was  spread  a 
layer  of  stones.  When  these  had  been  heated,  and  fell 
upon  the  embers,  the  pieces  of  root  were  placed  upon  them, 
with  a  little  water  in  cocoa-nut  shells  ;  over  these  were  spread 
mats  of  the  leaves  of  the  same  tree,  and  over  all  a  layer  of 
sand.  Fish  was  simply  broiled  on  the  hot  stones,  and  turtle 
was  cooked  in  both  ways.  There  were  no  animals  on  the 
island,  except  rats  and  lizards,  neither  of  which  were 
eaten  in  any  extremity.  There  was  abundance  of  mosqui- 
toes, flies,  and  more  odious  vermin,  the  last  of  which  made 
a  favorite  article  of  food.  Sea  birds  were  sometimes  seen, 
but  nothing  winged,  larger  than  a  fly,  was  known  to  breed 
on  the  island.  The  chief  drink  was  the  milk  of  the  cocoa- 
nut.  Some  brackish  springs  percolated  the  rock.  Rain 
water  they  took  no  care  to  save. 


THE    MANNER    OF    BUILDING    HUTS    AND    CANOES.        153 

Huts  are  constructed  in  two  ways.  The  better  sort  are 
built  on  a  frame,  begun  by  two  pieces  of  timber,  each  con- 
sisting of  a  stock  and  two  branches,  somewhat  in  the  form 
of  a  Y.  These  are  placed  upright  in  the  ground,  opposite 
to  each  other.  Then  from  the  arms  of  one  to  the  corre- 
sponding arms  of  the  other,  timbers  are  extended,  fastened 
at  both  ends  by  cords,  twisted  from  the  cocoa-nut  husk. 
From  these  horizontal  timbers  descend  others  to  the 
ground  to  make  the  side.  From  the  same,  on  the  other 
hand,  ascend  timbers,  meeting  in  an  angle  at  the  top  for 
the  roof,  which  roof  is  generally  continued  at  the  same 
angle,  so  as  to  reach  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  ground, 
admitting  the  free  passage  of  the  air  beneath  it.  It  is  cov- 
ered with  a  rude  thatching  of  leaves.  The  smaller  huts  are 
constructed  of  two  rows  of  stakes,  driven  slanting  towards 
each  other,  in  the  ground,  and  secured  at  the  top  to  a  ridge- 
pole. The  ends  are  closed  in  the  same  manner,  an  opening 
being  left  at  one,  sufficiently  large  to  creep  in  and  out. 
These  dwellings  are  thatched  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
better  sort. 

Canoes  are  hollowed  from  the  bread-fruit  tree,  and  an- 
other tree,  resembling  it  in  appearance,  which  is  not  a  native 
of  the  island,  but  often  drifts  on  shore.  Sails,  of  a  triangu- 
lar shape,  are  made  of  mats  of  the  leaf  of  a  tree  called  the 
sook.  The  mast  is  secured  by  cordage,  twisted  from  fibres 
of  the  cocoa-nut  husk,  one  rope  extending  from  the  mast- 
head to  the  stern,  another  to  the  bow,  a  third  to  one  side. 
The  halliards  of  the  sail  are  of  the  same  material.  No 
weapons  are  in  use,  except  clubs,  in  a  state  of  nature,  with- 
out finish  or  ornament,  and  spears  with  points  rudely  set 
with  shark's  teeth.  The  dress  of  the  men  is  merely  a  kind 
of  sash,  about  a  fathom  long,  which  they  call  vetivet,  fasten- 
ed round  the  loins.  It  is  made  of  the  fibres  of  the  bark  of 
a  tree  called  curramung.  The  women  wear  an  apron  of 
platted  leaves.  Neither  sex  wears  any  thing  on  the  head. 
Holden,  with  a  sailor's  versatile  invention,  made  himself 
some  hats  with  the  long  palm-like  leaves  of  the  sook  tree, 
sewed  together  with  threads  of  the  curramung,  by  means  of 
a  needle  of  fish  bone ;  but,  as  often  as  he  finished  them,  the 
natives  would  take  them  away  and  tear  them  to  pieces,  as 
soon  as  the  novelty  was  over. 


154 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    SHIP    MENTOR. 


There  was  little  like  division  of  labor,  though  persons 
remarked  for  particular  skill  in  some  handicraft,  as  the  build- 
ing of  canoes,  would  sometimes  get  the  name  of  sennup,  or 
master-workman.  When  a  hut  was  to  be  built,  the  meeting 
of  neighbors,  to  join  their  forces  in  putting  together  the  frame, 
under  his  direction,  was  not  unlike  an  old-fashioned  New 
England  raising ;  and  their  civility  was  acknowledged  in  like 
manner,  by  the  provision  of  a  repast  of  cocoa-nuts. 

In  such  a  place,  time  has  not  very  many  uses.  Eating, 
sleeping,  fishing,  lounging,  and  a  mutual  examination  of  the 
head,  for  the  most  part,  make  up  the  variety  on  Lord  North's 
Island. 

We  now  conclude,  by  stating  that  the  United  States' 
sloop-of-war  Vincennes  subsequently  visited  the  Pelew 
Islands,  and  took  on  board  the  seamen,  who  were  left  as 
hostages.  The  Vincennes  also  found  the  Pelew  chief,  Ko- 
bac,  alive  on  Lord  North's  Island,  and  conveyed  him  to  his 
home. 


\ 


.v^n 


1^    ^ 
^    K 


DR.    MADDEN'S    NARRATIVE 


OF    THE 


NOBLE  CONDUCT  OF  CAPTAIN  COLLINS, 


PACKET  SHIP  ROSCIUS,  OF  NEW  YORK, 

In  rescuing  the  Officers  and  Crew  of  the  English 
Ship  Scotia;  which  was  water-logged  in  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  December,  1839. 

E  insert  a  narrative  like  the  following 
with  the  greatest  pleasure:  such  an 
act  is  alike  honorable  to  Captain  Col- 
lins and  to  his  country.  The  circum- 
stances of  this  case  presented  very 
great  difficulties,  and  furnished  what 
some  men  might  have  deemed  very 
plausible  excuses  for  giving  over  the  attempt  to  rescue 
the  persons  on  board  the  Scotia;  but,  we  trust  in  heaven, 
they  did  not  produce  a  moment's  hesitation  in  the  mind 
of  Captain  Collins.  Well  and  nobly  did  tlie  gallant 
sailor  do  his  duty,  and  so  will  he  always.  It  is  not  in 
his  character  to  do  otherwise.  May  he  never  need  such 
succor  ;  but  if  it  should  be  his  lot,  may  he  find  as  glorious 
a  fellow  as  himself  to  render  it !  We  could  not  wish  him  a 
better. 

^'  Fifth  of  December,  P.  M.  Fell  in  with  the  wreck  of  the 
Scotia,  bound  from  Quebec  to  Glasgow,  burthen  six  hun- 
dred tons,  loaded  with  timber,  water-logged,  in  latitude  46°, 
longitude  32°  30^  On  seeing  signals  of  distress  flying,  we 
altered  our  course,  and  bore  down  on  her ;  and  on  the 
Roscius  approaching  her,  Captain  Collins  hailed  her:  the 
answer  was,  '  We  are  water-logged  •—  seventeen  feet  water 


156     THE  NOBLE  CONDUCT  OF  CAPTAIN  COLLINS. 

in  her  hold ! '  The  prompt  reply  of  Captain  Collins  was, 
*If  you  want  to  come  on  board,  put  out  your  boats.'  A 
cheer  from  the  people  of  the  sinking  vessel  followed ;  such 
a  cry  as  men  in  desperate  circumstances  alone  could  utter ; 
and  that  thrilling  cry  went  up  as  the  simultaneous  shout  of 
men  in  the  extremest  peril  suddenly  restored  to  life  and 
hope ;  and  instantly  every  hat  and  cap  was  seen  waving  on 
the  crowded  poop. 

"  An  effort  was  now  made  to  approach  us,  but  the  water- 
logged vessel  was  utterly  unmanageable  ;  she  pitched  heavily, 
as  if  she  would  have  gone  down  headlong ;  the  seas  swept 
over  her,  and,  as  she  rose,  broke  through  her  broken  ports. 
Her  mizzen-topmast,  and  fore  and  main-topgallantmasts  had 
been  cut  away  to  ease  her,  and  the  poop-deck,  where  the 
crew  were  congregated,  seemed  the  only  place  of  safety  left 
them. 

^'  In  attempting  to  near  us,  she  came  staggering  down  on 
us,  and  we  were  compelled  to  make  sail  to  get  out  of  her 
way.  The  sea  was  very  heavy  —  we  again  lay  to,  and  were 
then  about  a  mile  from  the  Scotia.  Night  came  on,  and  no 
boats  were  seen  —  the  unfortunate  Scotia  was  then  lost  sight 
of  altogether.  About  six  o'clock,  Captain  Collins  hoisted 
a  lantern,  and  the  light  was  immediately  answered  by  the 
Scotia.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Captain  Collins  that  one  of 
their  boats  had  put  off,  and  had  been  swamped  in  attempt- 
ing to  reach  us,  and  that  the  survivors  had  determined  to 
wait  till  morning  before  another  attempt  was  made.  It 
seemed,  indeed,  doubtful,  in  the  extreme,  if  any  small  boat 
could  live  in  such  a  sea.  It  is  impossible  sufficiently  to 
commend  the  conduct  of  Captain  Collins;  — his  anxiety  to 
reach  Liverpool  before  the  steamer,  which  was  to  have 
sailed  six  days  after  us,  made  every  moment  of  importance. 
We  had,  moreover,  seventy  steerage  passengers,  and  twenty- 
one  in  the  cabin  ;  and  to  forego  taking  advantage  of  a  fair 
wind,  and  to  lay  to  for  a  night  in  a  heavy  sea,  with  every 
appearance  of  an  approaching  gale,  was  a  determination 
which,  I  greatly  fear,  many  a  master  of  a  ship  would  have 
found  great  difficulty  in  coming  to.  Captain  Collins,  how- 
ever, made  this  resolution  promptly,  and  without  any  ex- 
pression of  impatience  at  the  detention  it  occasioned.  His 
only  observation  was,  '  We  must  stay  by  the  poor  devils,  at 


THE    BOATS    REACH    THE    SHIP    IN    SAFETY.  157 

all  events,  till  morning  —  we  can't  leave  them  to  perish 
there,  d — n  it.'  May  we  not  hope,  when  '  the  accusing 
spirit  flew  up  to  heaven's  chancery  with  the  oath,  and 
blushed  as  he  gave  it  in,  the  recording  angel,  as  he  wrote 
it  down,  dropped  a  tear  upon  the  word,  and  blotted  it 
out  forever '  ? 

''At  seven,  P.  M.,  cheering  was  heard  in  the  direction  of 
the  Scotia :  the  people,  we  supposed,  had  .taken  the  boats, 
and  had  then  left  the  sinking  vessel.  In  the  course  of  an 
hour,  or  rather  less,  the  long-boat  of  the  Scotia,  filled  with 
men,  was  on  her  lee  quarter.  By  the  admirable  arrange- 
ments, which  were  then  made  by  Captain  Collins  for  rescu- 
ing them,  the  men  were  taken  on  board  without  the  least 
accident.  This  boat  brought  eighteen :  the  captain  and 
five  men  had  still  remained  on  board,  and  were  preparing 
to  put  off  in  the  jolly-boat.  No  little  anxiety  was  felt  for 
the  safety  of  this  Httle  boat ;  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour, 
however,  she  was  seen,  and  with  two  oars  only  she  gained 
the  Roscius ;  and  the  captain  and  his  five  men  were  soon 
taken  on  board.  To  the  credit  of  the  poor  master  of  the 
Scotia,  be  it  observed,  that  he,  Captain  Jeans,  was  the  last 
man  to  leave  the  sinking  ship.  The  anxiety  expressed  by 
the  men,  who  came  in  the  first  boat,  for  the  safety  of  their 
captain,  and,  indeed,  the  terms  in  which  the  whole  of  his 
people,  then  and  subsequently,  spoke  of  Captain  Jeans, 
showed  how  highly  he  was  respected  and  esteemed  by  his 
crew  ;  and  if  he  had  not  been  so,  he  would  probably  not 
have  kept  his  ship  afloat  as  long  as  he  had  done.  Nor  was 
the  anxiety  of  Captain  Jeans,  for  the  safety  of  his  crew,  less 
manifest.  The  first  question  he  asked,  on  coming  on  board 
the  Roscius,  was,  '  Are  all  my  people  safe  ? '  The  captain 
and  crew  were  all  Scotch,  and  their  conduct  throughout  re- 
flected no  discredit  on  their  country. 

"  When  they  came  on  board,  they  were  worn  out  with  con- 
tinual exertion.  The  men  had  been  night  and  day  at  the 
pumps,  since  the  previous  Tuesday ;  but,  exhausted  as  they 
were,  they  immediately  turned  to,  and  with  one  accord  went 
on  deck  and  did  duty  with  our  crew ;  and  no  sooner  were 
the  boats  cast  adrift,  than  there  was  ample  occasion  for  their 
services.  A  violent  gale  from  the  north-east  set  in,  which 
must  have  rendered  it  utterly  impossible  for  the  people  to 
14 


158  THE    NOBLE    CONDUCT    OF    CAPTAIN    COLLINS. 

have  taken  to  their  boats,  and  the  violence  of  which,  on  the 
following  day,  must  have  been  inevitably  fatal,  for  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  have  kept  the  pump  going  ;  and 
the  sea  already,  even  before  the  gale  from  the  north-east  set 
in,  was  making  a  clear  breach  over  her,  and  threatening  to 
carry  away  her  poop-cabin,  the  last  place  of  refuge  left  the 
poor  people  of  the  Scotia,  except  the  top,  where  they  had 
already  stowed  water  and  provisions,  in  the  momentary  ex- 
pectation of  being  compelled  to  abandon  the  deck ;  and 
thus,  providentially,  were  twenty-four  human  beings  pre- 
served from  a  watery  grave." 


Letter  from  the  Master. 

"Liverpool,  December,  1839. 
*'  Sir  :  —  On  behalf  of  myself  and  crew,  I  beg  leave  to 
express  to  you  the  heart-felt  gratitude  we  feel  for  the  assist- 
ance you  rendered  to  us  when,  on  the  5th  inst.,  the  vessel 
I  commanded,  the  Scotia,  bound  from  Quebec  to  Greenock, 
being  water-logged,  and  myself  and  my  people  worn  out 
with  continual  exertion,  —  and  still,  unfortunately,  unable  to 
keep  her  free,  —  you  promptly  consented  to  take  us  on,  and 
thereby  rescued  us  from  certain  death.  For  all  the  kindness 
and  generous  treatment  we  have  subsequently  received  from 
you,  we  thank  you  from  our  hearts,  and  in  the  prayers  of 
ourselves  and  families  you  never  can  be  forgotten. 

"  I  am,  sir,  most  gratefully  yours, 

''JOHN  JEANS. 
"  To  Captain  John  Collins,  Packet  Ship  Roscius,  N.  Y." 


From  the  Passengers  of  the  Roscius  to  Captain  Collins. 

"  On  Board  of  the  Ship  Rosdus,  \ 
off  lAvei'pool,  December,  1839.  ^ 

•'Dear  Sir:  —  We,  the  undersigned,  passengers  of  the 

ship  Roscius,  on  the  voyage  from  New  York  to  Liverpool, 

deeply  impressed  with  the  admirable  conduct  you  displayed 

on  the  recent  occasion  of  your  falling  in  with  the  wreck  of 


DR.  madden's  poem.  159 

the  British  ship  Scotia,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  Decem- 
ber, and  taking  off  the  master  and  twenty-four  men,  found 
on  that  unfortunate  vessel,  cannot  part  with  you  without  ex- 
pressing to  you  our  high  sense  of  that  energy  of  character 
and  active  benevolence,  which  actuated  your  character  on 
that  occasion,  and  happily  made  you,  under  God,  the  instru- 
ment of  saving  these  poor  men  from  the  jaws  of  death. 
We  feel  that  there  were  circumstances  to  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration, connected  with  that  event,  which  gave  additional 
merit  to  the  transaction  —  circumstances  which  required  a 
great  sacrifice  of  time  and  of  interest,  imposing  a  heavy  ex- 
pense on  yourself,  and  were  not  unattended  with  risk  to 
your  vessel,  perhaps  the  finest  that  ever  sailed  from  New 
York,  before  the  resolution  of  staying  by  the  sinking  ship, 
till  such  time  as  it  was  practicable  to  take  off  the  people, 
cannot  be  fully  appreciated,  or  sufficiently  commended.'* 


TO  CAPTAIN  COLLINS,  OF  THE  "ROSCIUS," 

On  the  Occasion  of  his  falling  in  with  the  Wreck  of  the  British  Ship 
"  Scotia,''^  on  the  Evening  of  the  5th  of  December,  and  taking  off  the 
Twenty-four  Men  found  on  Board  of  that  sinking  Vessel, 

Heroes  can  boast  "their  thousands,  and  their  tens 

Of  thousands,"  slaughtered  on  the  field  of  strife  — 
And  this  was  glory !     O,  what  countless  pens 

And  tongues  extol  the  waste  of  human  life !  — 

This  mighty  carnage  is  a  theme  that's  rife 
With  praise  and  plaudits,  and  the  chief,  whose  sword 

Does  bolder  mischief  than  the  dastard's  knife, 
And  deals  out  wider  carnage,  is  adored 
And  aggrandized,  while  minor  cut-throats  are  abhorred. 

Is  there  for  bloodless  exploits  no  renown? 

Is  there  no  tongue  for  living  acts  of  love  ? 
No  pens  for  themes  of  mercy  freely  shown 

By  man  himself  to  man  ?  no  power  to  move 

The  heart  by  deeds  which  angels  might  approve  ? 
Is  there  no  fame  for  him  whose  soul  is  bent 

On  high  achievements,  prompted  from  above  ? 
No  breath  of  honor,  with  the  goodness  blent. 
That  stirs  to  save  when  life  itself  is  almost  spent  ? 

If  guilt  there's  none  like  his  whose  hand,  accursed, 
Hath  shed  man's  blood,  can  goodness  then  compare 

With  that  thrice-blessed  influence,  whose  first 
And  chiefest  wish  and  effort  is  to  spare  ?  — 


160 


THE  NOBLE  CONDUCT  OF  CAPTAIN  COLLINS. 


To  snatch  one's  fellow-creatures  from  despair, 
On  danger's  brink,  and  on  the  verge  of  death  ?  — 

To  come  with  help  and  succor  to  them  there ; 
And  when  their  souls  are  sick,  to  breathe  the  breath 
Of  hope,  and  fan  the  sinking  flame  of  life  beneath  ? 

Fame !  let  thy  trumpet  sound  the  warrior's  praise ! 

Glory  be  his  who  courts  the  world's  applause ! 
Honor  for  him  who  seeks  the  public  gaze. 

And  acts  for  it  till  some  new  claim  withdraws 

Its  future  smiles.     Thou,  in  a  bolder  cause, 
And  for  a  better  meed  than  human  fame. 

Didst  rescue  numbers  from  the  very  jaws 
Of  death  itself,  nor  cared  from  whence  they  came. 
To  save  and  succor  all,  was  thy  sole  end  and  aim. 

O,  when  thou  hast  to  meet  thy  God  on  high. 
On  record,  then,  that  thrilling  cry  of  theirs, 

Which  rent  the  air,  on  hearing  thy  reply. 

And  made  the  wreck  resound  with  thankful  prayers, 
May  this  deed  prove  the  death  of  all  thy  fears, 

The  life  of  all  thy  hopes !     O,  may  it  plead 
In  thy  behalf  with  Him,  who  ever  hears 

The  poor  man's  prayer;  and  find  thou  hast,  indeed. 

To  his  poor  suffering  members  been  a  friend  in  need. 


Ship  Roscius,  December  8,  1839. 


R.  R.  MADDEN. 


THE    MELANCHOLY    ACCOUNT 

OF    THE 

LOSS  OF  THE  STEAM-PACKET  PULASKI, 

OFF  CAPE  LOOKOUT, 
ON  THE  COAST  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA, 

OCCASIONED    BY    THE 

EXPLOSION  OF  THE  STEAM  BOILER; 

With  the  Narratives  of  the  Sufferings  and  Affecting 
Scenes  which  those  passed  through,  who  surviyed 
the  Catastrophe,  whilst  floating  on  Fragments  of 
the  Wreck,  and  in  reaching  the  Shore  in  the  Boats, 
June,  1838. 


N  the  melancholy  catalogue  of  misfortunes 
on  the  ocean,  few  cases  have  produced 
scenes  so  heart-rending  and  painfully- 
affecting,  as  were  brought  about  by  the 
explosion  on  board  of  the  Pulaski.  By 
this  fatal  accident  perished  the  young, 
fair,  and  beautiful,  the  learned  and  the 
ignorant,  the  high  and  the  low,  —  all  sunk  together.  "  No 
tomb  shall  plead  to  their  remembrance.  No  human  power 
could  redeem  their  forms.  The  white  foam  of  the  waves 
was  their  winding-sheet.  The  winds  of  the  ocean  will  be 
their  eternal  dirge." 

«  The  death  angel  flapped  his  broad  wing  o'er  the  wave." 

One  loud  report  awakened  the  affrighted  company,  and 
upon  hurrying  up  from  their  cabins,  they  found,  in  the  place 
14* 


162  THE    DESTRUCTIOx\    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

of  the  firm  deck  and  whitened  planks,  which  they  had  last 
trod,  before  retiring  to  their  slumbers,  a  dark  and  frightful 
abyss,  resembling  a  black  and  mighty  caldron,  in  the  bot- 
tom of  which  rested  the  ponderous  and  broken  steam  en- 
gine. But  through  the  cracked  sides  and  broken  rim  the 
surrounding  ocean  was  fast  gushing,  and  which,  in  a  few 
moments,  would  fill  and  descend  like  lead  into  its  depths  ^ — 
hurrying,  in  its  downward  course,  all  within  the  reach  of  its 
ingulfing  waters.  Imagination  can  hardly  paint  a  scene, 
in  its  immediate  aspect,  or  its  ultimate  and  swiftly-approach- 
ing issues,  more  full  of  horrors,  to  distract  the  calmest  mind, 
to  unnerve  the  stoutest  heart  —  horrors  which  must  have 
appeared  to  start  up  from  the  wild  caverns  of  the  deep 
itself. 

The  steam-packet  Pulaski,  Captain  Dubois,  sailed  from 
Savannah  on  Wednesday,  the  13th  of  June,  1838,  having 
on  board  about  ninety  passengers.  She  arrived  at  Charles- 
ton the  same  afternoon,  and  sailed  the  next  morning  with 
sixty-five  additional  passengers.  In  the  afternoon,  the  wind 
freshened  from  the  eastward,  and  produced  a  heavy  sea, 
which  retarded  her  progress,  and  required  a  full  pressure  of 
steam.  At  half  past  ten,  the  wind  continued  fresh,  with  a 
clear  star-light,  and  there  was  every  promise  of  a  fine  night. 
At  eleven  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  starboard  boiler  exploded  with 
tremendous  violence,  blowing  off*  the  promenade  deck  above, 
and  shattering  the  starboard  side  about  midships ;  at  the 
same  time  the  bulk-head,  between  the  boilers  and  forward 
cabin,  was  stove  in,  the  stairway  to  it  blocked  up,  and  the 
bar-room  swept  away.  The  head  of  the  boiler  was  blown 
out,  and  the  top  rent  fore  and  aft.  In  consequence  of  the 
larboard  boiler  and  works  being  comparatively  uninjured, 
the  boat  heeled  to  that  side,  and  the  starboard  side  was  kept 
out  of  the  water,  except  when  she  rolled,  when  the  sea 
rushed  in  at  the  breach.  The  boat  continued  to  settle  rap- 
idly, and  in  about  forty  minutes  the  water  had  reached  the 
promenade  deck,  above  the  ladies'  cabin.  Previously  to  this 
period,  the  ladies,  children,  and  the  gentlemen,  who  were  in 
the  after  part  of  the  boat,  were  placed  on  the  pronienade 
deck.  About  the  time  the  water  reached  that  point,  the 
boat  parted  in  two,  with  a  tremendous  crash,  and  the  bow 
and  the  stern  rose  somewhat  out  of  the  water  j  but  the  latter 


THE    BOATS    ARE    LOWERED. 


163 


Explosion  of  the  Steam  Boiler  on  Board  of  the  Pulaski. 

again  continued  to  sink,  until  the  water  reached  the  prome- 
nade deck,  when  it  separated  in  three  parts,  upset,  and  pre- 
cipitated all  on  it  into  the  water.  Many  then  regained  the 
detached  portions.  The  gentlemen,  who  occupied  the  for- 
ward cabin,  took  refuge  on  the  extreme  point  of  the  bow, 
when  the  boat  broke  in  two,  and  clung  to  it  and  the  fore- 
mast ;  others  had  placed  themselves  on  settees,  and  the 
fragments  of  the  wreck. 

There  were  four  boats  belonging  to  the  steamer;  two  being 
slung  to  the  sides,  and  two  placed  on  top  of  the  promenade 
deck.  The  side  boats  were  both  lowered  dow^n,  within  five 
minutes  of  the  explosion.  In  that  on  the  starboard  side, 
tlie  first  mate,  Mr.  Hibbert,  Mr.  Swift,  and  one  other  per- 
son, had  placed  themselves.  In  that  on  the  larboard  side, 
were  Mr.  J.  H.  Cooper,  with  Mrs.  Nightingale  and  child, 
and  Mrs.  Eraser  and  her  son,  who  were  under  his  charge, 
Captain  R.  W.  Pooler  and  son,  and  Mr.  William  Robertson, 
all  of  Georgia,  Barney  and  Soloman,  of  the  crew%  and  two 
colored  wom.en.  By  direction  of  the  mate,  two  of  the  crew 
launched  one  of  the  deck  boats  and  got  into  her ;  but  as,  from 
her  long  exposure  to  the  sun,  her  seams  were  all  open,  she 


164  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

instantly  filled,  and  Mr.  Hibbert  removed  the  men  to  his 
boat.  The  boats  met,  when  those  in  the  second  proposed 
to  Mr.  Hibbert  to  strike  out  for  the  land,  as  it  had  on  board 
as  many  as  it  could  with  any  safety  carry.  This  he  de- 
clined to  do,  as  he  said  he  was  determined  to  stay  by  the 
wreck  till  daylight,  and  had  yet  room  for  four  persons. 
Both  boats  then  continued  to  row  around  the  wreck  until 
the  mate's  boat  had  picked  up  as  many  as  she  could  carry, 
when  Mr.  Hibbert  yielded  to  the  propriety  of  consulting 
the  safety  of  those  in  the  boats,  by  going  to  the  land,  as 
their  further  stay  would  endanger  them,  without  affording 
any  aid  to  their  suffering  friends ;  and  they  left  the  wreck  at 
three  o'clock,  A.  M.  The  boats  took  a  north-west  course, 
being  favored  by  a  heavy  sea  and  strong  breeze  from  the 
south-east. 

At  twelve  o'clock  they  made  the  land,  and  at  three,  P.  M., 
were  near  the  beach.  Mr.  Hibbert  then  waited  until  the 
second  boat  got  up,  and  informed  them  that  those  in  the 
boat  refused  to  row  any  further,  and  insisted  on  landing. 
Mr.  Cooper  united  with  him  in  protesting  against  the  meas- 
ure, as,  from  the  heavy  breakers  which  were  dashing  on  the 
beach,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  it  was  obviously  one  of 
great  peril.  Being  overruled,  they  submitted  to  make  the 
attempt.  The  mate,  who  had  previously  taken  the  two  col- 
ored women  from  the  second  boat,  then  proposed  to  lead 
the  way,  and  requested  Mr,  Cooper  to  lie  off,  until  he  had 
effected  a  landing,  and  was  prepared  to  aid  the  ladies  and 
children.  The  first  boat  then  entered  the  surf,  and  disap- 
peared, for  several  minutes,  from  those  in  the  other  boat, 
having  been  instantly  filled  with  water.  Six  of  the  persons 
in  her,  viz.,  Mr.  Hibbert,  Mr.  Swift,  Mr.  Tappan,  Mr.  Leuch- 
tenberg,  and  West  and  Brown,  of  the  crew,  landed  in  safety. 
An  old  gentleman,  supposed  to  be  Judge  Rochester,  for- 
merly of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Bird,  of  Georgia,  the  two  col- 
ored women,  and  a  boat  hand,  were  drowned.  The  other 
boat  continued  to  keep  off  until  about  sunset,  when,  finding 
the  night  approaching,  and  there  being  no  appearance  of 
aid,  or  change  in  the  wind,  which  was  blowing  freshly  in  to 
the  land,  and  the  persons  in  the  boat  having  previously  re- 
fused to  attempt  to  row  any  farther,  Mr.  Cooper  reluctantly 
consented  to  attempt  the  landing. 


THE    LANDING    OF    THE    SECOND    BOAT.  165 

Before  the  attempt,  it  was  thought  necessary,  to  prevent 
the  infant  of  Mrs.  Nightingale,  which  was  only  seven  months 
old,  from  being  lost,  to  lash  it  to  her  person,  which  was  done. 
Just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  the  bow  of  the  boat  was  turned 
to  the  shore  ;  and,  Mr.  Cooper  sculling,  and  the  two  men  at 
the  oars,  she  was  pulled  into  the  breakers.  She  rose  with- 
out difficulty  upon  the  first  breaker,  but  the  second,  combing 
out  with  great  violence,  struck  the  oar  from  the  hand  of  one 
of  the  rowers.  The  boat  was  thus  thrown  into  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  and  the  succeeding  breaker  struck  her  broadside, 
and  turned  her  bottom  upwards.  Upon  regaining  the  surf, 
Mr.  Cooper  laid  hold  of  the  boat,  and  soon  discovered  that 
the  rest  of  the  party,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Nightin- 
gale, were  making  for  the  shore :  of  her,  for  a  few  moments, 
he  saw  nothing,  but  presently  feeling  something  like  the 
dress  of  a  female  touching  his  foot,  he  again  dived  down, 
and  was  fortunate  enough  to  grasp  her  by  the  hair.  The 
surf  continued  to  break  over  them  with  great  violence  ;  but 
after  a  struggle,  in  which  their  strength  spent  its  last  efforts, 
they  reached  the  shore,  utterly  worn  out  with  fatigue,  hun- 
ger, thirst,  and  the  most  intense  overwhelming  excitement. 
Besides  this,  the  ladies  and  children  were  suffering  from  the 
cold.  The  party  proceeded  a  short  distance  from  the  shore, 
where  the  ladies  lay  down  on  the  side  of  a  sand  hill,  and 
their  protectors  covered  them  and  their  children  with  sand, 
to  prevent  them  from  perishing.  Meantime,  some  of  the 
party  went  in  quest  of  aid,  and  about  ten  o'clock  at  night 
the  whole  party  found  a  kind  and  hospitable  reception, 
shelter,  food,  and  clothing,  under  the  roof  of  Mr.  Siglee 
Redd,  of  Onslow  county. 

Mrs.  Nightingale  is  the  daughter  of  John  A.  King,  Esq., 
of  New  York,  and  a  granddaughter  of  the  late  distinguished 
Rufus  King.  During  the  whole  of  the  perils  through  which 
they  passed,  she  and  Mrs.  Fraser  displayed  the  highest  qual- 
ities of  fortitude  and  heroism.  They  owe  the  preservation 
of  their  own  and  their  children's  lives,  under  Providence, 
to  the  coolness,  intrepidity,  and  firmness,  of  Mr.  Cooper  and 
his  assistants,  and  to  the  steadiness  with  which  they  second- 
ed the  wise  and  humane  efforts  of  that  gentleman,  in  their 
behalf. 

On  Monday  they  reached  Wilmington,  where  they  found 


166        THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  PULASKI. 

a  deep  sympathy  for  their  misfortune  pervading  the  whole 
city,  and  generous  emulation  among  its  inhabitants  to  render 
them  every  possible  assistance. 

The  forvi^ard  part  of  the  boat,  after  the  separation,  con- 
tinued to  float.  On  it  were  Major  Heath  and  twenty-one 
others.  It  is  impossible  to  convey,  in  words,  any  thing  more 
than  a  faint  idea  of  the  suffering  they  underwent,  or  of  the 
many  harrowing  and  distressing  circumstances  which  oc- 
curred during  tlie  four  days  they  were  on  the  wreck. 

But  a  short  time  before  the  explosion,  it  was  remarked, 
by  one  of  the  passengers,  to  Major  Heath,  that  the  gauge 
showed  thirty  inches  of  steam.  On  the  attention  of  the 
engineer  being  called  to  this  fact,  he  replied  that  it  would 
bear,  with  safety,  forty  inches.  Major  Heath  had  just  re- 
tired to  the  afier  cabin.  A  number  of  passengers  were 
lying  on  the  settees,  and  when  the  boiler  burst,  the  steam 
rushed  into  the  cabin,  and,  it  is  thought,  instantly  killed 
them,  as  they  turned  over,  fell  on  the  floor,  and  never  were 
seen  by  the  major  to  move  afterwards.  He  had,  on  hearing 
the  noise  of  the  explosion,  got  out  of  his  berth,  and  ran  to 
the  steps,  the  steam  meeting  him  in  the  cabin.  He  got  under 
the  steps,  as  did  Mr.  Lovejoy,  of  Georgia,  and  they  were  thus 
shielded  from  its  eflfects. 

In  a  few  moments  he  went  on  deck,  and  found  all  dark. 
He  called  for  the  captain,  and  receiving  no  answer,  made 
for  the  mast,  as  he  felt  that  the  boat  was  sinking.  Before 
he  could  secure  himself,  the  sea  burst  over  him  and  carried 
him  away.  Fortunately,  however,  a  rope  had  caught  round 
his  leg,  and  with  this  he  pulled  himself  back.  The  mast, 
as  soon  as  he  had  been  washed  from  it,  fell,  and  crushed 
one  of  the  passengers,  Mr.  Auze,  a  French  gentleman  of 
Augusta.  The  boat  now  broke  in  two,  and  the  deck,  for- 
ward of  the  mast,  was  carried  away  from  the  rest  of  the 
vessel,  seemingly  very  swiftly.  Nothing  more  was  seen 
after  this,  by  Major  Heath,  of  the  yawl  or  the  after  part  of 
the  boat ;  but,  in  about  half  an  hour,  he  heard  a  wild  scream 
and  then  all  was  quiet !  This  must  have  been  when  the 
promenade  deck  turned  over,  with  at  least  a  hundred  human 
beings  upon  it ! 

When  daylight  broke,  he  found  that  there  were  twenty- 
two  on  the  wreck  with  him ;  among  them  Captain  Pearson, 


THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    A    BOY.  167 

who  had  been  blown  out  into  the  sea,  but  who  had  caught 
a  plank,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  them  during  the 
night. 

The  danger  of  their  situation  was  at  once  fully  realized. 
The  heavy  mast  lay  across  the  deck,  on  which  they  rested, 
and  kept  it  about  twelve  inches  under  water,  and  the  planks 
were  evidently  fast  parting  !  Captain  Pearson,  with  the 
rest,  set  himself  to  work  to  lash  the  wreck  together  by  the 
aid  of  a  few  ropes  on  the  mast,  —  letting  the  ropes  sink  on 
one  side  of  the  raft,  which,  passing  under,  came  up  on  the 
other  side ;  and  by  repeating  this  operation  they  formed  a 
kind  of  net-work  over  it.  They  also  succeeded  in  lashing 
two  large  boxes  to  their  raft,  which  formed  seats. 

Friday  passed  without  any  vessel  coming  in  sight.  Their 
thirst  now  became  intense.  The  heat  of  the  sun  was  very 
oppressive ;  its  rays  pouring  down  on  their  bare  heads,  and 
blistering  their  faces  and  backs ;  some  not  having  even  a 
shirt  on,  and  none  more  than  shirt  and  pantaloons. 

The  sufferings  of  the  younger  portion  of  their  company, 
at  this  time,  became  very  great.  Major  Twiggs,  of  the 
United  States'  army,  had  saved  his  child,  a  boy  about  twelve 
years  of  age.  He  kept  him  in  his  arms  nearly  all  the  time  ; 
and  when  he  would  call  on  his  mother,  who  was  safe  at 
home,  and  beg  for  water,  his  father  would  seek,  in  vain,  to 
comfort  him  by  words  of  kindness,  and  clasping  him  closer 
to  his  heart. 

On  Saturday  they  fell  in  with  another  portion  of  the 
wreck,  on  which  were  Chicken  and  three  others,  whom 
they  took  on  their  raft.  Towards  the  close  of  the  evening 
they  had  approached  within  half  a  mile  of  the  shore,  as 
they  thought,  and  many  were  very  anxious  to  make  an  effort 
to  landc  This  was  objected  to  by  Major  Heath,  as  the 
breakers  ran  very  high,  and  would  have  dashed  the  raft  to 
pieces  on  the  shore.  Mr.  Greenwood,  of  Georgia,  told  the 
major  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  swimmers  in  the  country, 
and  that  he  would  tie  a  rope  around  him  and  swim  ashore. 
"  No,  no,"  repHed  the  major,  "  you  shall  not  risk  your  hfe 
for  me,  under  these  circumstances  ;  and  in  such  an  attempt 
you  would  lose  your  life.  No,  I  am  the  old  man  in  danger, 
and  will  not  increase  the  risk  of  others."  All  hope  of  land- 
ing, then,  was  shortly  afterwards  given  up,  as  a  slight  breeze 


168  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

from  the  shore  was  now  carrying  them  out  to  sea.  Despair 
now  seemed  to  seize  on  some  of  them ;  and  one  suggested 
that,  if  relief  did  not  soon  reach  them,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  cast  lots !  The  firmness  and  resolution  of  Major  Heath 
soon  put  this  horrid  idea  to  flight.  "  We  are  Christians," 
he  told  them,  "  and  we  cannot  innocently  imbrue  our  hand 
in  the  blood  of  a  fellow-creature.  A  horrible  catastrophe 
has  deprived  hundreds  of  their  lives,  brought  sorrow  to 
many  a  hearth,  and  thrown  us  upon  the  mercy  of  the  winds 
and  waves.  We  have  still  life  left ;  let  us  not  give  up  all 
manliness,  and  sink  to  the  brute.  We  have  all  our  thoughts 
about  us,  and  should  face  death,  which  must  sooner  or  later 
overtake  us,  with  the  spirit  that  becomes  us  as  Christians. 
When  that  hour  arrives,  I  will  lay  down  my  life  without  a 
murmur ;  and  I  will  risk  it  now  for  the  safety  of  any  one  of 
you ;  but  I  will  never  stand  by  and  see  another  sacrificed, 
that  we  may  drink  his  blood  and  eat  his  flesh  !  "  With  such 
words  as  these  did  he  quiet  them,  and  reconcile  them  to 
await  the  issue.  The  day  wore  away  again,  without  the 
sight  of  a  vessel  to  cheer  thoir  drooping  spirits. 

On  Sunday  morning  it  commenced  raining,  with  a  stiff 
breeze  from  the  north-east,  which  soon  increased  to  a  severe 
gale.  Every  effort  was  made  to  catch  some  of  the  falling 
rain,  in  the  piece  of  canvass  which  they  had  taken  from 
the  mast ;  but  the  sea  ran  so  high  that  the  little  they  did 
catch  was  nearly  as  salt  as  the  ocean.  Still,  the  rain 
cooled  them,  and,  in  their  situation,  was  refreshing  and 
grateful. 

On  Monday  morning  they  saw  four  vessels.  They 
raised  on  a  pole  a  piece  of  the  flag,  that  was  attached  to 
the  mast,  and  waved  it,  but  in  vain.  The  vessels  were  too 
far  oflf,  and  hope  was  nearly  gone,  as  they  watched  them 
pass  from  their  sight.  They  had  now  been  without  food  or 
water  for  four  days  and  nights  ;  their  tongues  were  dry  in 
their  mouths  ;  their  flesh  burnt  and  blistered  by  the  sun,  and 
their  brains  fevered,  and  many  of  them  began  to  exhibit  the 
peculiar  madness  attendant  on  starvation.  They  could  not 
sleep  either,  as  the  raft  was  almost  always  under  water,  and 
it  required  continual  watchfulness  to  keep  themselves  from 
being  washed  over  by  the  sea.  Major  Heath  never,  for  a 
moment,  lost  his  consciousness. 


THEY    ARE    DISCOVERED. 


169 


On  Tuesday  morning,  a  vessel  hove  in  sight ;  and  her 
track  seemed  to  be  much  nearer  them  than  those  they  had 
seen  the  day  before.  They  again  waved  their  flag  and 
raised  their  feeble  voices.  Still  the  vessel  kept  on  her 
track,  which  appeared  to  carry  her  away  from  them.  "  She 
is  gone,"  said  one  of  the  crew,  a  poor  fellow  who  had  been 
dreadfully  scalded  ;  and  he  laid  himself  down  on  one  of  the 
boxes,  as  he  said,  "  to  die."      Captain  Pearson,  who  had 


The  Survivors  on  the  Forecastle  discovered  by  the  Schooner. 


"  She  sees  us  ! 
All  sails  set, 


been  closely  watching  the  vessel,  cried  out, 
she  is  coming  toward  us  !  "  And  so  it  was 
and  full  before  the  wind,  the  vessel  made  for  them.  The 
schooner  proved  to  be  the  Henry  Camerdon,  bound  from 
Philadelphia  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.  As  soon  as  the  captain 
came  within  speaking  distance,  he  took  his  trumpet  and 
15 


170  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    FULASKI. 

cried  out,  ''  Be  of  good  cheer ;  I  will  save  you."  It  was  the 
first  strange  voice  that  had  reached  their  ears  for  five  days, 
which  were  to  them  as  an  age. 

When  the  schooner  came  alongside,  they  all  rushed  fran- 
ticly  on  deck,  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  the  captain 
could  keep  them  from  the  water-casks.  He  immediately 
gave  each  of  them  a  half  pint  of  water,  sweetened  with 
molasses,  and  repeated  it  at  short  intervals.  His  prudence^ 
doubtless,  preserved  their  lives. 

During  the  morning,  Major  Heath  and  his  company  had 
seen  another  portion  of  the  wreck,  with  several  persons  on 
it ;  and  as  soon  as  the  captain  of  the  Henry  Camerdon  was 
told  of  it,  he  sailed  in  the  direction  it  had  been  seen,  and 
shortly  after  came  in  sight.  On  this  wreck,  which  was  a 
part  of  the  promenade  deck,  were  Miss  Rebecca  Lamar, 
Mrs.  Noah  Smith,  of  Augusta,  Master  Charles  Lamar,  of 
Savannah,  and  Mr.  Robert  Hutchinson,  also  of  Savannah 
The  two  ladies  were  much  exliausted,  and  Master  Lamar 
was  almost  dead.  Every  comfort  that  the  schooner  was 
possessed  of  was  freely  bestowed  by  the  taptain. 

One  of  the  survivors  on  this  wreck.  Captain  Hubbard, 
was  asleep  at  the  time  of  the  explosion.  He  immediately 
jumped  from  his  berth,  and,  though  nearly  suffocated  by 
the  steam,  made  his  way  to  the  ladies'  cabin,  in  search  of 
his  wife.  Telling  her  to  dress,  and  to  remain  quiet  tijl  his 
return,  he  repaired  to  the  cabin,  where  he  dressed  himself, 
and  again  returned  to  his  wife.  At  this  time  he  found  that 
the  hold  was  filling  with  water,  and  he  immediately  com- 
menced the  formation  of  rafts  from  settees,  tables,  and  other 
movables,  on  which  many  of  the  passengers  launched  into 
the  ocean.  Captain  Hubbard  and  his  wife  remained  on  the 
main  deck  till  the  water  was  nearly  three  feet  deep,  when 
they  climbed  to  the  promenade  deck,  where  there  were 
some  fifty  persons  collected,  chiefly  females.  The  feeling 
that  prevailed  seemed  to  be  that  of  resigned  determination. 
There  were  sobbing  and  weeping,  but  no  turbulent  expression 
of  fear  or  despair.  A  quiet  preparation  for  an  awful  catas- 
trophe appeared  to  be  universal.  There  were  among  them 
husbands  and  wives,  who  embraced  each  other  with  calm 
aflfection,  and  whose  only  expression  was,  that  "  they  would 
die  in  each  other's  arms.",    When  the  deck   began  to  roll 


AFFECTING    SCENE THE    HUSBAND    AND    WIFE.         171 

over,  Captain  Hubbard  directed  his  wife  to  keep  by  him,  as 
he  followed  the  roll  of  the  boat,  with  the  intention  of  reach- 
ing the  side.  In  this  wa.y  they  had  nearly  effected  their 
escape.  Captain  Hubbard  had  succeeded  in  grasping  the 
keel,  when  he  dropped  his  hold,  to  extend  a  hand  to  his 
wife.  She  reached  him,  and  was  clinging  to  his  neck ; 
while  two  other  females,  who  had  followed  close  in  their 
track,  were  also  hanging  on  him.  At  this  moment  a  sea 
swept  over  them,  which  washed  away  all  w^ho  had  been  upon 
the  deck.  Captain  Hubbard  perceived  that,  in  this  situation, 
both  himself  and  wife  would  inevitably  perish.  They  were 
both  sinking,  when,  from  exhaustion,  or  in  a  movement  to 
change  her  hold,  she  relaxed  her  grasp,  and  they  both  sank 
together.  From  this  moment  he  never  saw  her  more.  On 
rising,  he  encountered  a  box,  which  had  floated  from  the 
wreck,  on  which  he  remained  half  an  hour,  in  a  state  of 
almost  utter  unconsciousness,  when  he  was  taken  from  the 
promenade  deck,  to  which  a  number  of  other  passengers 
had  floated  on  fragments  of  the  wreck.  Of  all  who  were 
on  that  part  of  the  boat,  when  it  capsized,  he  thinks  not  a 
soul  survives  but  himself! 

Captain  Hubbard  is  of  opinion,  with  most  of  those  who 
remained  upon  the  wreck,  that  the  boat  in  which  the  mate, 
Hibbert,  escaped,  might  have  been  so  employed  as  to  have 
saved  the  lives  of  nearly  all  on  board. 

One  incident  is  mentioned,  in  this  connection,  which  is, 
beyond  any  thing  else  in  this  melancholy  divsaster,  painfully 
affecting.  While  the  boat  was  lying  off,  one  of  the  passen- 
gers, frantic  with  alarm,  and  without  knowing  what  he  was 
about,  jumped  towards  her,  but  fell  far  short.  He  turned  at 
once,  sensible  of  his  situation,  and  probably  remembering 
whom  he  had  left  behind,  with  the  view  of  regaining  the 
wreck.  His  wife  screamed  to  him  by  name,  "  Where  are 
you  ?  where  are  you  ?  "  He  replied,  from  the  waves,  "  I'm 
here,  my  dear;  I'm  here."  "  I'm  coming,  my  husband,"  she 
rejoined,  and,  leaping  on  the  railing  of  the  deck,  plunged 
headlong  into  the  sea. 

At  daylight,  on  the  morning  after  the  disaster,  it  was 
ascertained  that  there  were  fourteen  individuals.  Captain 
Hubbard  inclusive,  on  the  promenade  deck.  In  the  course 
of  that  day,  eleven  others  were  picked  up,  three  from  a  boat, 


172  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

and  eight  from  fragments  of  the  wreck.     With  such  aid  as 
could   be  rendered,  Captain  Hubbard  proceeded  to  repair 
and  calk   the  boat.      They   remained   all   on   the   raft   till 
about   nine  o'clock   on    Saturday   morning.     At   this  time, 
with  the  consent  and  approbation  of  their  fellow-sufferers, 
Captain  Hubbard  and  five  others  put  off  in  the  boat,  in  the 
hopes  of  gaining  the  shore.     The  separation  doubled  the 
chances  of  escape  of  the  whole  party,  as,  if  the  boat  failed 
to  procure  assistance  from  the   shore,  it  might  fall  in  with 
some  vessel  that  would  be  able  to  render  the  necessary  assist- 
ance.    They  rigged  a  mast  and  sail  from  a  split  plank  and 
table-cloth,  and,  with  a  piece  of  board  for  a  rudder,  were 
launched  from  the  wreck,  taking  an  affecting  leave  of  those 
they  left  behind,  and  receiving  the  benediction  of  the  clergy- 
man, Dr.  Woat,  who  afterwards  perished  from  fatigue  and 
exhaustion.     After  the  lapse  of  five  hours,  having  run  down 
the  coast  with  the  view  of  selecting  the  least  exposed  situa- 
tion, Captain  Hubbard  turned  the  head  of  the  boat  for  the 
breakers,  telling  his  companions  that  the  most  perilous  mo- 
ment had  arrived,  and  that  each  must  encounter  it  for  him- 
self.    They  had  brought  with  them,  from  the  wreck,  as  many 
planks  as  could  be  taken,  without  encumbering  the  boat; 
and  to  these  they  trusted  to  effect  their  escape  through  the 
surf.     The  first  breaker  the  "  boat  rode  like  a  duck,"  and 
was  carried  by  it  some  two  hundred  yards.     The  second 
was  surmounted  with  equal  success.     At  the  approach  of 
the  third,  Captain  Hubbard  perceived  that  the  boat  was  wa- 
vering; she  turned  her  side  to  it,  and  in  a  moment  was  cap- 
sized.    Captain  Hubbard  had  seized  a  plank,  which  he  threw 
to  one  of  his  companions,  and  trusted  to  his  own  strength  for 
his  safety.     Four  more  breakers  threw  Captain  Hubbard,  and 
three  others,  on  the  beach  ;  when,  by  the  means  of  the  boards 
and  their  own  personal  assistance,  they  succeeded  in  drawing 
their  remaining  companions,  who  were  still  strugghng  with 
the  waters,  to  the  shore.     The  point  where  they  effected 
their  landing,  was  in  Onslow  Bay,  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
and  west  of  the  entrance  to  New  River.     At  this  bay  they 
found  a  schooner ;  but  such  was  the  state  of  the  weather,  * 
that  it  was  impossible  to  get  to  sea  in  her,  in  the  hope  of 
rendering  any  assistance  to  those  who  were  left  on  the 
wreck. 


CAPTAIN  PEARSON  BLOWN  FROM  HIS  BERTH.     173 

'  Captain  Hubbard  speaks  in  the  warmest  admiration  of 
the  conduct  of  Miss  Rebecca  Lamar,  and  of  her  singular 
firmness  and  self-possession,  with  her  never-failing  effort  to 
cheer  and  encourage  them,  and  rally  their  sinking  and  de- 
spairing spirits.  To  use  his  own  language,  "  She  was  our 
preserving  angeV  The  other  ladies  on  the  wreck  behaved 
with  remarkable  fortitude. 

From  Captain  Pearson,  the  chief  mate,  who  was  on  the 
part  of  the  wreck  with  Major  Twiggs,  we  have  the  following 
particulars:  "June  13th,  at  half  past  five,  P.  M.,  I  sounded 
on  the  Frying  Pan  Shoals,  in  five  fathoms  of  water,  and 
shaped  the  course  of  the  boat  for  Cape  Lookout  Shoal.  I 
was  in  conversation  with  some  of  the  passengers  on  the 
promenade  deck,  where  I  remained  until  ten  o'clock,  P.  M., 
after  which  all  retired  below.  At  ten  o'clock  I  went  to 
the  engine-room  and  examined  the  steam  gauge,  which 
I  found  indicated  twenty-six  inches.  This  I  thought  was 
doing  very  well,  as  the  speed  of  the  boat  increased  as 
she  grew  lighter,  and  of  course  worked  off  the  steam 
sooner. 

"  Finding  all  things  as  they  should  be,  I  called  Mr.  Hib- 
bert  on  deck,  and  gave  him  charge  of  the  boat,  observing  to 
him  that  he  must  keep  a  good  lookout,  and  call  me  at 
twelve  o'clock,  as  I  thought  we  should  reach  Cape  Lookout 
about  half  past  one,  or  at  least  I  should  then  take  the  soundr 
ings.  I  also  told  him  that  Captain  Dubois  was  lying  in  the 
steering-house,  where  he  would  find  him.  When  the  ex- 
plosion took  place,  which  1  should  judge  to  be  about  eleven 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  I  experienced  rather  a  pleasant  sensation,  as 
though  I  were  dreaming  that  I  was  flying  in  the  air.  I  was 
awakened  by  falling  on  my  back  in  the  water,  surrounded 
by  the  fragments  of  my  room.  Immediately  conscious  of 
my  situation,  I  got  on  a  small  board  and  swam  for  the  boat, 
which  appeared  to  be  thirty  or  forty  yards  distant,  and  still 
going  rapidly.  I  saw  the  heads  of  seven  persons  near  me, 
but  could  not  tell  whether  they  were  white  persons  or  not. 
I  continued  to  swim  for  the  boat,  and  finding  my  clothes  an 
'impediment,  I  soon  divested  myself  of  them.  My  watch- 
guard  became  entangled  around  my  wrist,  which  I  was  com- 
pelled to  break  and  let  go.  As  near  as  I  could  judge,  I 
must  have  been  swimming  three  quarters  of  an  hour. 
15* 


174        THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  PULASKI. 

When  I  had  approached  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
boat,  I  saw  her  lights  begin  gradually  to  disappear.  I 
stopped  and  exclaimed,  '  My  God,  is  the  Pulaski  sinking  ? ' 
I  renewed  my  efforts  to  reach  her,  and  soon  found  my  worst 
fears  realized,  as  her  bow  sunk  deep  beneath  the  surface. 
I  then  swam  towards  the  stern,  and  when  within  ten  or 
fifteen  feet,  I  saw  the  heads  of  people.  I  called  for  a  boat 
as  loud  as  I  was  able  for  some  time,  but  received  no  answer. 
I  then  swam  towards  the  head  of  the  steamboat,  and  saw 
.the  forward  part  of  her  main  bottom  keel  up,  and  near  it 
the  forward  part  of  the  main  deck.  I  approached,  and  saw 
men  standing  there.  I  called  to  a  gentleman  near  the  side, 
and  told  him  my  name,  which  he  immediately  made  known 
to  the  others,  and  threw  me  a  rope.  His  name  is  Mr. 
Gregory,  of  Georgia,  and  I  shall  ever  remember  him  with 
gratitude.  When  I  got  on  to  the  wreck,  my  first  object  was 
to  procure  the  boats,  hoping  to  assist  some  of  the  unfortu- 
nate ladies,  for  whose  safety  I  would  willingly  have  risked 
my  life,  and  so  expressed  myself  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Gregory  and  others. 

"  Finding  that  we  should  have  to  lighten  our  wreck,  I  in- 
formed the  gentlemen  present  that  my  left  arm  was  badly 
scalded,  and  useless  to  me,  but  that  I  would  direct  them  in 
their  exertions  for  our  safety.  A  quantity  of  iron,  and  the 
best  bower  anchor,  were  thrown  over.  The  chain  being 
fastened,  I  soon  found  that  we  were  at  anchor,  and  to  re- 
main so  long  would  founder  our  wreck.  With  great  diffi- 
culty we  filed  a  pin  loose,  which  we  backed  out,  and  then 
let  the  chain  and  small  bower  go.  Having  erected  a  shed 
on  deck,  and  rigged  a  jury-mast,  we  set  sail,  with  a  small 
color  flying  as  a  signol  of  distress,  to  any  vessel  that  might 
see  us.  On  the  15th  we  saw  the  stern  of  the  steamboat 
about  north-north-east,  as  near  as  I  could  judge,  but  could 
discern  no  one  on  it.  On  Saturday,  I  found  our  wreck  was 
fast  beating  to  pieces,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  bind  it 
together,  which  we  did  with  a  cable.  We  also  found  it 
necessary  to  cut  away  the  mast,  as  it  pried  up  the  deck. 
To  do  this  was  a  Herculean  labor ;  the  only  instrument  we 
had  was  an  oyster-knife,  which  we  sharpened  like  a  chisel, 
with  a  file.     This  was  the  work  of  a  whole  day." 

Mr.  Meritt,  of  Mobile,  embarked  on  board  of  the  Pulaski 


DISTRESSING    SITUATION    OF    THE    LADIES.  175 

with  his  wife  and  child  ;  they  were  both  lost.  When  the 
explosion  took  place,  he  indulged  the  hope  that  the  boat 
would  continue  to  float,  and  after  hastening  to  his  wife  and 
child,  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  returned  towards  the  middle  of 
the  boat,  to  ascertain  more  distincdy  the  extent  of  the  dam- 
age, and  take  such  measures  as  might  be  in  the  power  of 
the  crew  and  passengers,  in  order  to  prevent  the  water  from 
coming  in  on  the  side  where  the  boiler  had  exploded.  A 
few  moments,  however,  served  to  convince  him  that  the  boat 
must  sink.  He  found  the  water  entering  on  both  sides,  and 
also  apparently  through  the  bottom,  and  all  hope  of  check- 
ing its  ingress  abandoned.  He  then  hastened  back  to  the 
ladies'  cabin,  and  on  requesting  them  to  dress  themselves, 
and  be  in  readiness  to  meet  the  impending  peril,  a  scene  of 
terror  and  anguish  ensued,  which  was  well  calculated  to  melt 
the  stoutest  heart.  Women  clung  round  him  with  entreaties 
that  he  would  save  them,  while  mothers  as  importunately 
begged,  not  for  themselves,  but  for  the  preservation  of  their 
children.  In  a  short  time,  the  inmates  of  the  ladies'  cabin, 
together  with  a  number  of  gentlemen,  were  assembled  on 
the  promenade  deck,  whither  they  had  taken  refuge,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  continued  settling  of  the  hull  in  the  water. 
The  further  sinking  of  the  hull,  and  the  parting  of  the  prom- 
enade deck,  as  have  been  heretofore  related,  threw  those 
who  were  on  it  into  the  sea,  and  among  them  Mr.  Meritt, 
his  wife  and  child.  Being  an  excellent  swimmer,  he  was 
enabled  to  sustain  both,  although  the  difficulty  of  so  doing 
was  greatly  increased,  by  the  close  cling  of  the  child  to  the 
mother. 

While  thus  engaged,  a  boy,  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years, 
caught  hold  of  him  for  help,  and  he,  too,  was  sustained, 
until  Mr.  Meritt  proposed  to  hini  to  mount  a  fragment  of 
the  wreck,  floating  near.  The  boy  accordingly  mounted  on 
it,  and  seemed  to  be  so  well  able  to  support  himself,  that 
Mr.  Meritt  asked  him  to  take  his  child  on  the  fragment, 
which  the  lad  readily  acceded  to.  Mr.  Meritt  was  now  able 
to  bestow  his  whole  strength  in  sustaining  his  wife ;  when, 
to  his  horror,  he  felt  himself  clasped  from  behind,  around 
the  lower  part  of  his  body,  by  the  iron  grasp  of  a  stout, 
athletic  man,  evidently  struggling  for  his  life.  An  instant 
was  sufficient  to  satisfy  Mr.  Meritt  that  the  grasp  of  the  man 


176         THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  PULASKI. 

would  drown  them  all ;  and  telling  his  wife  that  this  would 
be  the  case,  without  he  could  extricate  himself,  he  asked  her 
to  rally  her  strength  for  an  effort  to  reach  a  piece  of  the 
wreck,  close  by,  to  which  she  consented :  giving  her  a  push 
towards  it,  with  as  much  power  as  his  peculiar  situation 
would  admit,  he  saw  her  gain  it.  In  the  mean  time,  his 
own  case  called  for  immediate  relief;  but  he  found  himself, 
on  making  the  effort,  utterly  unable  to  gain  a  release  from 
the  powerful  hold,  which  was  fastened  round  his  body  with 
an  iron  firmness.  There  was  but  one  hope  left,  and  there 
was  not  one  moment  allowed  him  to  deliberate  on  it.  Mr. 
Meritt  had  been  an  expert  swimmer  and  diver  when  a  boy, 
and  to  sink  under  the  waves,  with  the  man  clinging  to  him, 
was  the  last,  the  only  resort  remaining.  They  went  down 
together,  and  the  man  relaxed  his  hold,  before  Mr.  Meritt's 
breath  became  exhausted.  On  rising  again  towards  the  sur- 
face, he  struck  against  pieces  of  the  wreck,  which  were  now 
floating  over  him,  and  after  some  difficulty  cleared  them  so 
as  to.  breathe  again  ;  but  on  looking  around  he  could  neither 
discover  his  wife,  child,  or  the  boy.  What  had  occurred 
during  the  brief  space  that  he  was  beneath  the  waves,  he 
knew  not ;  but  he  neither  heard  nor  saw  them  any  more. 

Soon  after,  he  reached  what  he  supposed  was  a  hatch- 
way, and  this  sustained  him  pretty  well.  While  thus  float- 
ing, he  discovered,  near  him,  a  man  on  a  smaller  fragment, 
evidently  much  exhausted.  He  called  to  him  to  come  to 
the  hatch,  as  a  place  of  greater  safety ;  and,  after  no  little 
effort,  his  fellow-sufferer  was  placed  upon  it.  The  weight  of 
the  two,  however,  was  found  to  be  rather  too  much  for  the 
hatch  to  sustain ;  and  subsequently  falling  in  with  a  largei 
fragment,  they  were  enabled  to  float  without  being  immersed. 
On  this  the  two  remained  from  Friday  night  until  Sunday, 
having  on  Saturday  experienced  a  severe  gale,  which,  foi 
hours,  threatened  to  destroy  their  frail  float,  and  ingulf  them 
in  the  ocean.  On  Sunday  they  neared  the  land,  and  were 
cast  ashore  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina. 

Mr.  Stewart,  the  companion  of  Mr.  Meritt,  says,  "  Aftei 
the  explosion,  the  boat  still  moved  on,  from  the  previous 
force  given  her.  I  saw  a  small  boat,  with  some  persons  ip 
it,  lying  somewhat  astern  of  us ;  this,  I  suppose,  was  one  of 
the  boats  that  got  ashore.     The  steam-packet  was  fast  sink 


SEVERAL  PERSONS  JUMP  OVERBOARD.         177 

mg,  the  water  pouring  over  the  guards.  About  this  time,  I 
assisted  some  lady — God  knows  who — to  get  on  the  upper 
deck,  who  begged  me  to  get  her  husband  up,  and  said  he 
was  an  old,  gray-headed  man.  I  did  not  see  him.  I  also 
heard  a  lady  crying  in  a  loud  voice  for  her  husband,  pro- 
nouncing his  name  repeatedly  —  ^  Mr.  Ball.'  A  gentleman, 
that  I  supposed  was  Mr.  Ball,  sprang  from  the  fore  part  of 
the  boat  into  the  water,  and  made  for  his  wife ;  but  must 
have  sunk  before  he  reached  the  after  part.  Several  per- 
sons wildly  jumped  overboard,  and  tried  to  reach  settees, 
&-C.,  and,  sinking,  called  for  something  to  be  thrown  them. 
The  weight  of  the  machinery,  I  suppose,  caused  the  boat  to 
sink  faster  in  the  centre,  which  threw  up  the  stern.  She 
then  parted.  The  stern  part  of  the  boat,  upon  which  I  was, 
turned  a  complete  somerset ;  and  when  it  was  about  perpen- 
dicular, I  let  go  of  the  davit  ropes,  to  which  I  was  clinging. 
Many  others  were  thrown  off  at  the  same  time.  I  was  sunk 
in  the  water  for  some  time,  and  was  grasped  by  persons  I 
supposed  to  be  ladies,  from  their  clothes,  and  was  kept  down 
probably  twenty  feet :  after  they  let  go,  I  came  up,  amidst  a 
crowd  of  persons.  I  thought  if  I  remained  here  I  should 
inevitably  be  borne  down ;  I  therefore  swam  off  as  well  as  I 
could.  It  was  light  enough  for  me  to  see  persons.  I  saw 
the  larger  parts  of  the  wreck,  which  seemed  to  be  distant 
about  one  hundred  yards.  There  were  vast  quantities  of 
fragments  floating  around  me  ;  and,  fortunately,  I  got  upon  a 
piece, — a  hatch,  —  and  picking  up  a  small  plank,  I  paddled 
off  from  the  body  of  the  wreck,  thinking  the  heavy  swell 
would  dash  me  to  pieces,  if  I  came  in  contact  with  it.  In 
about  an  hour  I  saw  a  person  upon  a  fragment.  It  was  Mr. 
Meritt,  of  Mobile,  he  informed  me.  We  concluded  to  get 
our  pieces  together:  meeting  with  a  larger  and  a  longer 
fragment  just  ahead,  we  reached  it,  and  got  our  pieces  on 
it.  Mr.  Meritt  had  been  on  a  hatch.  A  rope  happened  to 
be  fastened  to  one  of  the  rings  ;  he  cut  the  rope  with  his 
knife  ;  we  unrove  it,  and  fastened  our  pieces  pretty  firmly  on 
it.  We  also  found  an  oar,  which  was  afterwards  of  essen- 
tial service  to  us.  About  three  o'clock  there  was  a  severe 
squall,  which  lasted  but  a  few  minutes.  At  daylight  we 
saw  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  rafts,  pretty  much  in  a  line, 
some  before,  others  behind,  and  some  three  miles  distant. 


178        THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  PULASKI. 

The  wind  was  about  east,  and  setting  us,  I  thought,  in  for 
the  land.  Some  of  the  rafts  I  saw  had  persons  on  board. 
I  recollect  there  was  a  raft  passed  near  me,  which  seemed 
to  be  made  up  of  lumber,  plank,  and  a  vast  quantity  of 
wood,  with  a  solitary  being  upon  it  —  a  negro  man,  who 
had  got  up  a  small  sail.  We  picked  up  a  stool,  which  float- 
ed near,  upon  which  Mr.  Meritt  and  myself  alternately  took 
our  turns  at  steering.  We  had  taken  off  the  hatches,  and  got 
up  a  sort  of  mast.  From  the  canvass  we  made  a  sail ;  and 
our  object  was  to  keep  our  craft  before  the  wind,  to  prevent 
her  turning  over.  She  went  before  the  wind  very  well. 
We  were  frequently  immersed  in  the  water,  and  kept  con- 
stantly wet,  without  food  or  fresh  drink. 

'•  I  had  no  stockings  or  hat  on,  and  suffered  immensely 
from  the  rays  of  a  scorching  sun,  during  the  day,  and  at 
night  I  was  chilled  almost  to  death.  Mr.  Meritt  happened 
to  be  better  clad.  He  had  on  his  pantaloons,  and  saved  his 
watch.  On  Friday  evening,  we  thought  we  saw  a  lighthouse, 
but  it  proved  to  be  a  vessel.  The  sharks  threatened  to  de- 
vour us,  as  they  were  all  around  us  on  Friday  and  Saturday, 
and  would  greedily  seize  on  chips  or  rubbish,  that  fell  from 
the  raft.  I  was  fearful  they  would  break  our  oar,  when  we 
should  have  got  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  buried  over. 
On  Saturday  evening,  I  thought  I  saw  land.  Mr.  Meritt 
thought  I  was  mistaken,  as  in  the  evening  there  was  a  fog 
that  might  be  mistaken  for  the  shore.  Shortly  after,  we 
were  both  convinced  we  saw  land,  distant  about  ten  miles. 
This  was  a  joyful  sight.  Mr.  Meritt  sprang  up,  crying, 
'  Thank  God,  it  is  land,'  and  said  to  me,  he  had  one  hundred 
dollars  with  him,  which  he  had  fortunately  put  in  his  pocket 
the  day  before  the  disaster  had  occurred.  This  he  kindly 
said  he  would  divide  with  us,  should  we  ever  reach  the  shore. 
At  daylight,  Sunday  morning,  we  were  quite  near  the  land, 
not  going  directly  for  it,  but  running  along  shore,  and  gradu- 
ally approximating  it ;  about  ten  o'clock,  w^e  v^^ere  thrown 
into  the  breakers.  Mr.  Meritt  was  first  thrown  off,  and  after 
a  while  reached  the  shore  before  I  did.  About  the  third 
breaker,  my  frail  bark  was  precipitated  over  my  head,  and  it 
was  fortunate  it  did  not  strike  me ;  it  kept  somewhat  ahead 
of  me.  After  a  short  time,  I  touched  bottom  in  about  three 
feet  of  water,  and   rapidly  made   for   the  beach,  which  I 


L 


FIDELITY    OF    DR.   STEWART  S    SERVANT.  IS  I 

reached.  I  was  so  completely  exhausted,  I  could  scarcely 
crawl  up  the  beach,  upon  which  I  lay,  in  a  state  of  insen- 
sibility, until  about  eleven  o'clock  next  day,  when  a  benevo- 
lent man,  Mr.  Spicer,  who  resides  near  New  River  Inlet, 
came  across  me.  He  inquired  if  I  had  companions.  1  told 
him  Mr,  Meritt. 

"  After  putting  a  plank  to  keep  the  sun  from  my  face,  he 
went  to  look  for  Mr.  Meritt,  and  came  back  and  told  me  he 
could  not  find  him.  Mr.  Meritt,  I  learned  afterwards,  got 
to  a  hut,  v^^here  he  fell,  in  an  exhausted  state,  finding  it  was 
deserted :  some  fishermen  found  him  there,  and  roused  him 
up.  He  directed  them  to  look  for  me,  which  they  did ;  but, 
it  being  late  in  the  evening,  they  did  not  find  me.  The 
shore,  where  we  landed,  was  a  low  beach,  with  some  scrub 
pines  upon  it,  and  there  was  a  sound  between  that  and  the 
main  land. 

''Mr.  Spicer,  for  whom  I  shall  always  feel  under  ten 
thousand  obligations,  took  me  across  the  sound  to  his  own 
house,  where  I  remained,  with  every  attention  paid  me  by 
Mr.  Spicer  and  family,  until  Thursday.  The  sun  and  salt 
water  had  completely  skinned  me,  and  cream  was  applied. 
On  Thursday  I  reached  Wilmington,  where  W.  N.  Peder, 
Esq.,  kindly  took  me  to  his  own  house,  and  rendered  every 
assistance.  M.  T.  Goldsborough  volunteered  a  loan  to  me, 
for  which  I  am  under  great  obligations  to  him.  The  citizens 
of  Wilmington,  and  all  along  as  I  came,  were,  however,  so 
kind,  that  I  had  but  little  occasion  for  money.  Dr.  Stew- 
art's servant  girl  came  with  me.  After  the  wreck,  she  states 
she  was  with  six  others  on  a  raft.  Dr.  Stewart,  she  says, 
was  with  her  on  the  wreck  until  Monday,  when  he  died  from 
exhaustion.  His  servant  kept  his  head  above  the  water  for 
two  days,  after  the  doctor  was  too  enfeebled  to  hold  on. 
He  told  the  servant  that  he  saw  his  wife  go  down,  after  the 
terrible  disaster,  several  times,  and  could  be  of  no  service  to 
her.  The  next  day,  Friday,  the  doctor  and  his  servant  saw 
many  dead  bodies  floating  near,  and  among  the  rest,  his  little 
child,  two  years  old.  What  a  dreadful  spectacle  !  The 
doctor,  before  his  death,  became  delirious :  when  he  ex- 
pired, his  lifeless  body  was  silently  swept  into  the  sea.  Sev- 
eral persons,  the  girl  states,  in  fits  of  deUrium,  jumped  oflf 
the  raft. 

16 


182  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

''  The  exposure  that  I  had  to  encounter,  together  with  the 
horror  of  soul  at  the  terrific  scene  I  passed  through,  (which 
now  I  can  scarcely  realize,  as  it  seems  like  an  awful  dream,) 
occasioned  me  infinite  suffering ;  but,  in  my  illness,  I  was,  by 
the  hand  of  an  all-wise  Providence,  thrown  amongst  the  kind- 
est people  I  ever  saw.  I  shall  recollect  them  as  long  as  pul- 
sation vibrates  through  my  heart." 

From  Mr.  B.  W.  Fosdick,  of  Boston,  who  was  on  an- 
other of  the  small  rafts,  we  have  the  following  additional 
particulars :  — 

"  The  weather  was  pleasant  all  of  the  day  wTiich  pre- 
ceded the  night  of  the  terrible  disaster.  There  was  a  fresh 
breeze  and  some  sea ;  and,  as  is  usual  on  the  first  day  out, 
the  greater  part  of  the  passengers  were  a  little  sea-sick,  and 
some  retired  to  their  berths,  or  lay  Hstlessly  about  on  the 
settees  upon  deck ;  and  when  evening  came,  most  of  them 
had  retired.  I  was  one  of  the  number  that  did  not  feel  ex- 
actly well,  and  went  to  bed,  in  the  after  cabin,  about  eight 
o'clock  ;  and  had  slept  for  some  hours,  when  I  was  awaked, 
about  eleven  o'clock,  by  a  loud  report,  followed  by  a  tre- 
mendous crash.  My  first  impression  was,  that  we  had  gone 
ashore,  or  had  run  into  some  vessel.  It  did  not  occur  to  me 
that  the  boiler  had  burst ;  and  finding  myself  uninjured,  I 
dressed  myself  entirely,  putting  my  watch  in  my  pocket,  and 
taking  my  hat,  and  from  the  pocket  of  my  cloak  a  hght  cap, 
which  I  put  into  my  hat,  thinking  it  would  be  of  use,  in  case 
I  could  not  keep  my  hat  upon  my  head.  Before  I  had  fin- 
ished dressing,  a  person  ran  down  into  the  cabin,  exclaim- 
ing, 'The  boat  is  on  fire  —  come  up  and  bring  buckets  to 
extinguish  it.'  This  person,  I  believe,  was  Mr.  Sherman 
Miller.  I  never  saw  him  afterwards.  I  immediately  started 
for  the  deck,  and  as  I  approached  the  cabin  stairs,  found 
that  a  number  of  the  planks  of  the  cabin  floor  had  been 
torn  up ;  and  as  it  was  quite  dark  in  the  cabin,  there  being 
but  one  or  two  candles  burning,  I  came  near  falhng  through 
into  the-hold.  When  I  reached  the  deck,  I  found  that  the 
boiler  had  burst.  The  confusion  was  very  great :  men  and 
women  were  running  from  one  part  to  the  other ;  some 
calling  for  their  wives,  others  for  their  husbands.  On  going 
forward,  I  found  I  could  get  no  farther  than  the  shaft.  Be- 
yond that,  as  far  as  the  wheel-house,  all  appeared  to  be  in 


AFFECTING    INSTANCE    OF    FIDELITY.  183 

ruins  and  in  darkness ;  and  at  every  roll  of  the  boat  the 
water  would  rush  in.  There  was  one  solitary  lantern  near 
me,  and  this  I  lashed  to  the  ceiling.  In  doing  so,  I  saw  a 
person  among  the  ruins  of  the  engine,  trying  to  get  out,  and 
moaning  and  crying  aloud,  *  Gone  — gone — gone — firemen, 
help  me  —  firemen,  help  me.'  In  a  few  minutes  some  one 
came  to  his  assistance,  and  extricated  him.  This  person,  I 
afterwards  learned,  was  one  of  the  firemen.  I  then  went 
aft  again,  and  with  some  others  assisted  in  removing  some 
of  the  rubbish  in  the  gangway,  for,  at  this  time,  I  think  no 
one  supposed  the  boat  would  sink,  and  we  thought  it  best 
to  have  as  clear  a  place  as  possible  on  deck.  But  we  soon 
found  this  of  no  avail,  for  the  water  was  rushing  in  rapidly, 
and  every  one  began  to  turn  his  attention  to  preparing  some- 
thing to  support  himself  upon  the  water ;  such  as  lashing 
settees  together,  and  tables,  &c.  A  negro  was  discovered 
preparing  something  of  this  kind,  and  on  being  asked  what 
he  was  going  to  do,  s^iid,  'J  am  going  to  try  to  save  my 
master ; '  appearing  perfectly  regardless  of  himself.  The 
two  quarter-boats  were  lowered  into  the  water;  but  when, 
I  do  not  recollect,  though  I  have  an  indistinct  remembrance 
of  seeing  one  of  them  lowered  by  two  or  three  persons. 
The  boat  now  appeared  to  be  sinking  pretty  fast,  and  I 
climbed  to  the  promenade  deck,  (the  only  way  to  get  there, 
for  the  stairs  were  at  the  forward  part  of  the  boat,)  and  there 
I  found  some  forty  or  fifty  persons,  many  of  whom  were 
ladies.  There  was  also  a  yawl-boat,  which  was  filled  with 
women  and  children  ;  and  among  them  the  family  of  G.  B. 
Lamar,  of  Savannah.  Himself  and  two  or  three  other  gen- 
tlemen were  standing  near  the  boat,  to  keep  it  in  an  upright 
position,  when  the  promenade  deck  of  the  steamboat  should 
sink,  which,  as  the  boat  had  broken  in  two  in  the  middle,  it 
had  begun  to  do;  and  one  end  was  already  immersed  in  the 
water.  For  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  keeping  the  boat  up- 
right, I  took  hold  of  the  bows.  The  water  was  now  rushing 
on  deck  rapidly,  and  the  forward  part  of  the  promenade 
deck  sank  so  fast,  that  the  bows  of  the  yawl-boat  filled  with 
water,  and  a  wave  washed  me  from  my  hold,  and  I  sank. 
When  I  rose,  I  found  myself  near  a  piece  of  plank,  to  which 
1  clung ;  but  this  not  being  large  enough  to  support  me,  I 
left  it ;  and  after  getting  from  one  fragment  of  the  wreck  to 


184  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

another,  (and  the  water  all  around  me  was  filled  with  frag^ 
ments,)  I  succeeded  in  finding  a  piece  large  enough  to  sup- 
port me  sitting,  and  upon  this  I  remained  some  ten  minutes, 
and  took  off  my  boots  and  loosened  my  dress,  for  my  clothes 
were  so  full  of  water  that  I  could  scarcely  move.  While 
upon  this  piece,  I  saw,  near  me,  Mr.  George  Huntington,  of 
Savannah.  Here  I  will  mention  what  was  told  me  by  a 
person,  (Mr.  Eldridge,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,)  who  was  upon 
the  promenade  deck  after  I  was  washed  from  it.  He  says 
that  nearly  all  the  females  in  the  yawl-boat  were  drowned  at 
the  time  it  filled.  After  removing  my  boots,  I  remained 
quiet  some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  when  I  heard  some  per- 
sons calling  out  not  far  from  me,  and  concluded  they  were 
in  one  of  the  boats  ;  but,  upon  inquiring,  found  it  was  a  part 
of  the  ladies'  cabin,  (the  side,)  and  that  there  were  two  per- 
sons upon  it,  (Andrew  Stewart  and  Owen  Gallagher,  deck 
hands,)  and  that  there  was  room  enough  for  another,  and 
that  they  would  take  one  upon  it,  if  I  could  get  up  to  it  — 
but  that  they  had  no  means  of  coming  to  me.  I  knew  the 
only  chance  of  safety  was  to  reach  it  —  and  I  made  a  des- 
perate effort,  and  succeeded,  by  swimming,  and  by  getting 
from  plank  to  plank,  which  were  scattered  all  around  me,  in 
reaching  it,  and  was  pulled  upon  it  almost  exhausted.  This 
piece  of  the  ladies'  cabin  was  then  about  ten  feet  wide,  by 
forty-five  feet  long ;  but  in  the  course  of  the  night  we  lost 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  it  —  leaving  us  a  piece  of  thirty  feet  in 
length.  Upon  this  we  sat  all  night,  with  the  water  about  a 
foot  deep.  The  wind  was  blowing  quite  fresh,  in  a  direc- 
tion toward  the  land,  and  our  raft,  being  long  and  narrow, 
made  very  good  progress ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  hours 
after  the  bursting  of  the  boiler,  we  were  out  of  sight  of  the 
wreck.  About  this  time  we  discovered,  approaching  near 
us,  a  portion  of  the  deck  of  the  steamboat,  with  an  upright 
post  near  the  centre  of  it  —  and  upon  it  were  Mr.  George 
Huntington  and  two  other  persons.  They  said  they  were 
all  from  Savannah.  We  lashed  the  two  rafts  together  with 
a  rope,  which  they  threw  us  —  but,  finding  that  the  sea 
dashed  our  rafts  together  with  considerable  violence,  we 
concluded  it  would  be  better  to  separate  again  —  and  we 
did  so.  Mr.  Huntington  wished  me  to  take  a  passage  with 
them,  but  I  concluded  to  remain  where  I  was.  I  saw  them 
no  more. 


MORNING    DAWNS.  —  NO    LAND    IN    SIGHT.  185 

^^  Friday  morning  came,  and  discovered  to  us  our  situa- 
tion. We  were  out  of  sight  of  land.  Three  rafts  we  saw 
at  a  distance.  They  were  too  far  off  for  us  to  discern  the 
persons  upon  them,  but  they  all  had  signals  flying.  Upon 
our  little  raft  we  found  a  small  chest,  belonging  to  one  of 
the  firemen,  and  which  afterwards  served  us  as  a  seat;  two 
mattresses,  a  sheet,  a  blanket,  and  some  female  wearing  ap- 
parel. The  mattresses  we  emptied  of  their  contents,  and 
with  the  covering  of  one  of  them  we  made  a  sail,  which, 
with  a  good  deal  of  difficulty,  we  succeeded  in  putting  up, 
but  which  did  us  much  service,  for  by  noon  we  had  almost 
entirely  lost  sight  of  the  other  rafts  ;  and  in  the  afternoon 
nothing  was  seen,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  but  sky  and 
water. 

"  But  our  spirits  did  not  flag,  for  we  thought  that  by  the 
morning  we  must  certainly  fall  in  with  some  fishing  boats. 
We  had  also  found  on  the  raft  a  tin  box,  the  cover  gone, 
containing  some  cake,  wrapped  up  in  a  cloth.  This  was 
completely  saturated  with  salt  water,  but  we  took  a  mouth- 
ful of  it  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  found  it  pretty  good. 
There  was  also  a  keg,  which  floated  on  to  the  raft,  contain- 
ing a  little  gin ;  but  this  was  of  little  service,  for,  by  some 
means  or  other,  it  was  mixed  with  salt  water.  The  night 
came ;  the  wind  and  sea  increased,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
take  down  our  little  sail.  During  the  night  the  waves  were 
constantly  washing  over  our  raft,  and  the  water,  at  all  times, 
stood  a  foot  deep  upon  it.  We  sat  close  together  upon  the 
chest,  which  we  lashed  as  well  as  we  could  to  the  raft,  and 
wrapped  ourselves  up  in  the  wet  blanket  and  clothes,  for  the 
night  air  felt  very  cold,  after  having  been  exposed,  as  we 
were,  all  day,  to  the  broihng  sun.  We  were  much  fatigued, 
and  once,  during  the  night,  we  fell  asleep,  and  were  awak- 
ened by  the  upsetting  of  our  seat,  which  nearly  threw  us 
overboard.  Anxiously  we  watched  the  rising  of  the  moon, 
which  rose  some  hours  after  midnight ;  and  still  more,  the 
rising  of  the  sun,  which  we  hoped  would  disclose  to  our 
weary  eyes  the  sight  of  some  distant  sail.  The  sun  at  last 
did  rise,  but  there  was  nothing  in  sight.  For  the  first  time 
we  began  to  feel  a  little  discouraged  ;  still  the  hope  that  we 
should  soon  see  land  impressed  itself  upon  us,  and  eagerly 
we  cast  our  eyes  landward,  every  now  and  then,  as  the  sun 
16* 


186  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

continued  to  rise.  And,  joyful  sight  1  about  six  o'clock  we 
thought  we  did  see  land,  and  in  another  half  hour  were  sure 
of  it.  Now  we  redoubled  our  exertions  ;  we  paddled  ;  we 
held  up  in  our  hands  pieces  of  cloth  —  we  did  every  thing 
to  propel  our  little  craft,  for  we  feared  the  wind  might 
change,  and  blow  off  shore,  and  then  all  hope  would  be 
lost ;  for  our  raft,  we  felt  sure,  could  not  hold  together  an- 
other day.  As  we  neared  the  land,  we  found  the  surf  was 
running  pretty  high,  but  there  was  a  sandy  shore,  and  we 
felt  no  fear  of  this,  for  we  saw  the  land,  and  we  knew  that 
soon  our  suspense  would  be  at  an  end. 

"  About  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  on  Saturday,  we  reached  the 
breakers.  The  first  breaker  came  over  us  with  great  vio- 
lence, and  so  did  the  second ;  the  third  broke  the  raft  in 
pieces,  but  we  clung  to  the  fragments,  and  soon  found  we 
could  touch  the  bottom  with  our  feet ;  and  in  a  few  minutes 
we  w^ere  safe  upon  terra  firma,  considerably  bruised  and 
sun-burnt,  but  with  our  hves.  And  grateful  did  we  feel  to 
that  Almighty  Arm,  which,  in  the  hour  of  danger,  was 
stretched  over  us  to  save  and  protect.  And  it  was  only  by 
the  mercy  of  a  Divine  Providence  that  we  were  thus  saved 
from  a  watery  grave.  I  forgot  to  mention  that,  on  Satur- 
day, a  sharlc  was  following  us  nearly  all  the  morning,  but  we 
frightened  it  away.  Near  the  shore,  which  was  at  New 
River  Inlet,  N.  C,  we  found  the  house  of  Mr.  Henderson, 
who  received  us  in  the  kindest  manner,  and  did  all  in  his 
power  for  us.  And  from  every  one  we  met,  we  have  re- 
ceived the  utmost  hospitality,  especially  from  some  gentle- 
men of  Newbern,  who  furnished  us  with  money  to  pay  our 
way  home.  But  we  found  that  it  was  not  much  needed,  for 
neither  the  conductors  of  the  railroad  cars,  nor  the  captains 
of  the  steamboats,  would  receive  any  thing  for  our  passage. 
I  have  thus  made  a  statement  of  a  part  of  what  I  saw  on 
the  dreadful  night  when  the  Pulaski  was  destroyed.  All 
that  I  saw  and  heard,  neither  language  can  paint,  nor  tongue 
utter.     The  thought  of  it  makes  me  shudder." 

Among  the  affecting  incidents,  connected  with  this  fatal 
shipwreck,  was  the  case  of  Captain  Brooks,  of  the  schooner 
Ploughboy,  of  Boston,  who  having  been  driven  to  the  south 
during  a  gale,  on  the  26th  of  June,  he  fell  in  with  the 
wreck,  and  saw  a  lady  floating,  in  the  storm,  but  was  unable 


THE    PROBABLE    CAUSE    OF    THE    DISASTER.  187 

to  save  her,  owing  to  the  violence  of  the  wind,  and  the 
roughness  of  the  sea !  What  must  have  been  the  feehngs 
of  every  humane  heart,  thus  to  behold  a  helpless  female 
tossed  on  the  billows  of  the  deep,  and  hurried  to  certain 
death,  without  the  possibility  of  affording  aid  ? 

When  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  Pulaski  reached 
New  York,  and  it  was  believed  all  on  board  had  perished, 
the  father  of  one  of  the  ladies,  who,  it  was  known,  had  taken 
passage  on  board  that  boat,  proceeded  immediately  to  Balti- 
more, where  he  arrived  without  hearing  further  from  the 
wreck.  On  entering  the  public  house,  he  inquired  of  the 
landlord  whether  he  had  received  any  further  intelligence 
from  the  Pulaski.  "  None,"  was  the  answer.  "  Were  none 
saved  ?  "  ''  None,  it  is  believed,  but  the  sixteen  first  men- 
tioned." "Do  you  know  their  names?"  "  I  do  not  re- 
member them  all,  but  the  first  was  Mrs. .     She  and 

the  others  are  safe  and  well."  The  inquirer  fainted  —  it 
was  his  daughter. 

It  is  mentioned  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woart  and  wife,  after 
a  most  fervent  prayer,  clasped  their  child  in  a  mutual  em- 
brace, and  in  a  few  minutes  the  three  sank  together  resign- 
edly into  the  waves. 

The  unfortunate  boy,  C.  Lamar,  went  mad  from  anxiety 
and  suffering. 

The  cause  of  the  disaster  was  obviously  the  neglect  of 
the  second  engineer,  in  permitting  the  water  to  boil  off,  or 
to  blow  off,  in  the  starboard  boiler,  and  then  letting  in  a  full 
supply  of  water  on  the  heated  copper.  One  of  the  hands 
saved,  had,  a  few  moments  before  the  explosion,  examined 
the  steam  gauge,  and  found  it  fluctuating  rapidly,  from 
twenty-six  to  twenty-nine  inches.  Another  had  just  left  the 
engine-room,  when  he  heard  the  shrill  whisthng  sound  of 
high  pressure  steam,  as  the  engineer  tried  the  water  cock  ; 
in  a  few  seconds  the  explosion  took  place.  Captain  Dubois 
was  seen  asleep  in  the  wheel-house,  ten  minutes  before  the 
explosion. 

The  number  of  passengers  on  board  was  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty ;  and  the  officers  and  crew  numbered  thirty- 
three.  The  whole  number  saved  were  fifty-nine,  viz.,  on 
the  two  large  portions  of  the  wreck,  thirty ;  in  the  two 
boats,   commanded  by   the   mate,   Mr,   Hibberd,  and   Mr. 


188  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

Cooper,  sirXteen ;  in  the  boat  of  Captain  Hubbard  and  Mr 
G.  B.  Lamar,  jive ;  on  other  small  rafts,  eight. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  passengers,  as  far  as  theh 
7iatnes  could  be  ascertained:- — 

Mrs.  Nightingale,  child,  and  servant ;  Mrs.  Fraser  and 
child  ;  Mrs.  Wilkins  and  child  ;  Mrs.  Mackey,  child,  and 
servant;  Mrs.  Wagner,  child,  and  servant;  Miss  A.  Park- 
man  ;  Miss  C.  Parkman  ;  Miss  T.  Parkman  ;  Mrs.  Hutch- 
inson, two  children,  and  servant ;  Mrs.  Lamar ;  Miss  R. 
Lamar;  Miss  M.  Lamar;  Miss  R.  J.  Lamar;  Miss  E. 
Lamar ;  Miss  C.  Lamar ;  Mrs.  Dunham ;  Mrs.  Cumming 
and  servant;  Mrs.  Stewart  and  servant ;  Mrs.  Ward;  Mrs. 
Taylor;  Miss  Drayton;  Mrs.  Pringle  and  child;  Miss 
Pringle  and  nurse ;  Mrs.  Murray ;  Miss  Murray ;  Mrs. 
Britt;  Miss  Heald ;  Mrs.  Rutledge ;  Miss  Rutledge ;  Mrs. 
H.  S.  Ball,  nurse,  child,  and  servant ;  Mrs.  Trappier ;  Mrs. 
Longworth ;  Mrs.  Edgings  and  child  ;  Miss  Mikeli ;  Mrs. 
Ray  and  child  ;  Miss  Clarke ;  Mrs.  B.  F.  Smith  ;  Mrs.  N. 
Smith;  Mrs.  Gregory;  Mrs.  Davis;  Mrs.  Hubbard;  Mrs. 
Meritt  and  child ;  Miss  Greenwood ;  Mrs.  PhiHips ;  Mrs. 
Oriolle ;  Mrs.  Williamson ;  Major  Heath ;  Major  Twiggs 
and  child ;  Colonel  Hudson  ;  Colonel  Dunham  ;  Lieutenant 
Mansfield,  United  States'  army ;  Rev.  E.  Crofts ;  Dr.  Cum- 
ming ;  Dr.  Ash ;  Dr.  Stewart ;  Dr.  Wilkins ;  Rev.  Mr. 
Murray  ;  Rev.  Mr.  Woart,  lady,  and  child  ;  Judge  Roch- 
ester ;  Judge  Cameron  ;  Messrs.  J.  Goddard,  J.  Nathans, 
J.  H.  Elliot,  T.  A.  Clark,  J.  Asken,  M'Allister,  S.  B.  Park- 
man,  G.  B.  Lamar,  C.  Lamar,  W.  Lamar,  T.  Lamar,  R. 
Hutchinson,  R.  Brower,  S.  Livermore,  B.  W.  Fosdick,  H. 
Eldridge,  C.  Ward,  G.  Huntington,  J.  H.  Cooper,  H.  B. 
Nichols,  jun.,  L.  Bird,  A.  Lovejoy,  W.  W.  Foster,  W.  A. 
Stewart,  A.  Hamilton,  S.  Miller,  W.  C.  N.  Swift,  R.  W. 
Pooler,  R.  W.  Pooler,  jun.,  A.  Burns,  H.  N.  Carter,  King, 
Travers,  E.  P.  Pringle,  Rutledge,  H.  S.  Ball,  Longworth, 
F.  M'Crea,  T.  C.  Rowand,  W.  Edgings,  R.  Seabrook,  J. 
Seabrook,  S.  Keith,  G.  W.  Coy,  O.  Gregory,  N.  Smith,  B. 
F.  Smith,  Davis,  R.  D.  Walker,  E.  W.  Innis,  J.  Auzee, 
Bennett,  Clifton,  Meritt,  R.  L.  Greenwood,  Evans,  Freeman, 
T.  Whalley,  W.  Whalley ;  Captain  Hubbard  ;  Master  Mur- 
ray, and  Master  Parkman. 

The  following  persons  were   saved  from   the  forecastle 


A    TRIBUTE    OF    GRATITUDE.  189 

and  promenade  deck:  —  A.  Lovejoy  ;  Major  Heath;  Major 
Twiggs  and  son ;  Mr.  Greenwood ;  Mr.  O.  Gregory  ;  Mrs. 
N.  Smith ;  Miss  Rebecca  Lamar ;  Charles  Lamar  ;  Robert 
Seabrook ;  Masters  T.  and  W.  Whalley ;  Mr.  R.  Hutchinson ; 
Mr.  A.  Hamilton  ;  Captain  Pearson  ;  Mr.  Edgings ;  Mr.  C. 
Ward ;  Mr.  Chicken,  chief  engineer ;  E.  Joseph ;  C.  W. 
CUfton  ;  D.  Walker  and  nephew ;  Thomas  Downing ;  War- 
ren Freeman  ;  Mr.  Burns  ;  two  firemen  ;  two  deck  hands ; 
and  two  negro  women. 

In  the  two  yawls:  —  Mrs.  Nightingale,  servant,  and  child  ; 
Mrs.  Eraser  and  child ;  J.  H.  Cooper ;  R.  W.  Pooler  and 
R.  W.  Pooler,  jun. ;  W.  M.  Robertson  ;  E.  L.  Barney  ;  Mr. 
Hibberd,  the  mate ;  W.  C.  N.  Swift ;  Mr.  Zeuchtenberg ; 
C.  B.  Tappan ;  G.  West ;  B.  Brown. 

In  the  other  boat :  —  G.  B.  Lamar  ;  Captain  Hubbard  ; 
Mr.  Eldridge,  and  three  others. 


The  following  grateful  acknowledgment,  for  the  great 
kindness  and  affectionate  conduct  of  the  people,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  disaster,  was  responded  to  by  every  survivor 
of  the  ill-fated  Pulaski :  — 

"  To  Captain  Davis ^  of  the  Schooner  '  Henry  Camerdon,^  of 
Philadelphia,  —  to  the  Citizens,  Physicians,  and  Author- 
ities, of  Wilmington,  —  to  the  Presidents  and  Directors 
of  the  Raleigh  and  Wilmington  Railroad  Company, — 
to  the  Hotel-keepers  there,  and  on  the  route  to  Portsmouth, 
Va.,  and  Stage-owners,  on  the  same  route,  —  also,  to  Cay- 
tain  Sutton,  of  the  Steamboat  'Alabama.'' 

"  The  undersigned,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  other  pas- 
sengers of  the  ill-fated  '  Pulaski,'  fortunately  rescued  from 
a  watery  grave,  take  the  earliest  occasion,  after  returning 
home,  and  recovering  from  the  effects  of  their  suffering  and 
exposure,  to  present  their  most  grateful  thanks,  and  shall 
ever  regard  them  as  friends  of  humanity,  whose  kindness 
and  sympathy  assuaged  and  relieved  the  undersigned,  after 
the  perils  and  horrors  of  a  dreadful  shipwreck,  and  who 
provided  for  them  all  the  comforts  which  charity  and  affec- 
tion could  dictate. 


190  THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    PULASKI. 

"  Some  of  the  sufferers,  cast  houseless  on  the  inhospitable 
shore,  without  food  or  water,  and  almost  without  raiment, 
to  cover  their  sun-burnt  and  lacerated  forms,  soon  found 
these  kind  friends,  among  strangers,  ministering  to  their 
wants  with  untiring  benevolence.  And  if,  in  this  world, 
the  reward  of  good  deeds  is  sometimes  postponed,  most 
surely  will  it  crown  the  future  destiny  of  those  true  Chris- 
tians, who  literally  clothed  the  naked,  fed  the  hungry,  and 
bound  up  the  wounds  of  the  afflicted.  And  to  this  highest 
of  all  rewards  the  undersigned  leave  their  benefactors,  with 
the  utterance  of  the  warmest  thanks  which  gratitude  can 
utter,  or  benevolence  receive. 

"  To  Captain  Henry  Davis,  however,  of  the  schooner 
*  Henry  Camerdon,'  they  feel  constrained  to  acknowledge 
a  high  and  imperishable  debt  of  gratitude.  His  arm,  under 
Heaven,  saved  them,  —  after  a  prolonged  and  unutterably 
terrible  scene  of  suffering,  —  at  a  moment  when  despair  was 
fastening  upon  every  heart ;  and  physical  strength  was  sink- 
ing under  the  cravings  of  hunger  and  thirst.  The  stormy 
ocean,  upon  which  they  had  floated  for  nearly  five  days  and 
nights,  in  momentary  fear  of  death,  still  rolling  around  and 
over  them  in  its  fury,  —  and  followed  by  the  insatiate  mon- 
sters of  the  deep,  ready  to  devour  them, — at  this  awful 
hour,  did  this  humane  man  come  to  their  rescue,  at  consid- 
erable risk  to  his  crew  and  vessel.  To  him,  then,  we  offer 
our  deepest  and  warmest  gratitude  and  praise,  and  feel 
assured  that  his  own  approving  conscience,  and  a  more 
approving  God,  will  here  and  hereafter  reward  him  for  his 
noble  deed,  the  simple  record  of  which  will  ever  speak  his 
high  and  deserved  eulogium. 

*'To  all,  finally,  who  aided  and  befriended  the  under- 
signed, in  the  extremity  of  their  misfortunes,  they  offer  the 
feelings  of  hearts,  which  the  tongue  cannot  express,  and, 
without  stopping  particularly  to  name  each  benefactor,  beg 
that  one  and  all  will  receive  this  as  the  sincere  return  of 
thanks  from  rescued,  and  now  grateful,  fellow-beings. 
"JAMES  P.  HEATH, 

"  For  himself  and  others  J^ 


THE    BURNING 

OF    THE 

SHIP  SIR  WALTER   SCOTT, 

Which  was  struck  by  Lightning, 

May,  1835. 

HE  ship  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Captain  Clarke, 
sailed  from  New  Orleans,  for  Liverpool, 
on  the  21st  of  May,  1835,  with  a  cargo 
of  1794  bales  of  cotton,  eighteen  sea- 
men, and  three  passengers  ;  one  of  them 
a  lady,  Mrs.  Hamilton.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  21st  of  June,  about  eight 
o'clock,  in  lat.  31°  24^  long.  75^  43^  when  under  double- 
reefed  topsails,  and  bearing  upon  the  wind,  opposite,  or 
nearly  so,  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  a  heavy  peal  of  thunder 
broke  over  the  ship.  The  captain  and  his  three  passengers 
were  in  their  cabins.  The  lady  started  up  in  fright,  and 
the  captain  jumped  on  deck  in  so  much  haste  as  to  be 
without  his  shoes.  The  electric  fluid  struck  the  foremast, 
entered  the  forecastle,  where  the  seamen  were  at  breakfast, 
dashed  every  thing  in  pieces,  sent  the  men  sprawling  in 
every  direction,  and  completely  raked  the  vessel  fore  and 
aft,  and  between  decks,  and  in  the  hold.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  cry  of  "  Fire  1"  was  raised,  and  aroused  the  seamen,  who 
were  almost  struck  senseless  by  the  electric  shock,  to  a  new 
sense  of  danger.  The  passengers  almost  lost  their  senses, 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  was  the  only  one  whose  courage  rose  to 
meet  the  danger  with  promptitude  and  energy.  "  The 
long-boat!  the  long-boat!"  was  shouted.  It  was  now  six  or 
eight  minutes  since  the  lightning  had  struck  the  ship,  and 
every  part  of  the  cargo,  fore  and  aft,  was  already  on  fire. 
The  long-boat  was  full  of  various  articles,  and  could  not  be 
got  out  at  the  moment. 

The  captain  seized  a  cutlass  and  a  pistol.     "  Men,"  said 
he,  "you  never  yet  deserted  me  in  danger;  rouse  your- 


192  A    SHIP    STRUCK    BY    LIGHTNING. 

selves  now ;  I'll  shoot  the  first  man  that  does  not  at  once 
do  his  duty.  Clear  out  the  long-boat ;  down  with  the  gig  ; 
stir,  stir,  stir,  or  in  ten  minutes  we  shall  see  eternity." 
The  men,  headed  by  the  mate,  cleared  out  the  long-boat, 
launched  the  gig,  and  then  swung  down  the  boat  into  the 
boiling  ocean  below.  "Put  the  lady  in  the  long-boat," 
shouted  the  captain.  The  ship  was  at  this  moment  rolling 
tremendously,  the  flames  bursting  forth  in  all  directions, 
her  masts  tottering  to  the  gale.  The  lady  reached  the  boat 
in  safety.  The  disabled  seamen  were  placed  near  her ; 
six  others  put  in  the  gig.  The  captain  and  his  mate  were 
the  last  to  leave  the  deck  of  the  burning  ship.  All  were 
now  in  the  boats.  "Cut  adrift!  cast  off!"  shouted  the 
captain.  They  cut  adrift  from  the  burning  ship,  and 
pushed  out  of  her  wake.  "  All  is  lost,"  said  the  captain ; 
"  but  our  lives  are  yet  left  us  :  we  have  another  chance  to 
live  out  the  gale."  The  moment  the  long-boat  and  the 
gig  left  the  burning  vessel,  her  masts  fell  by  the  board, 
the  flames  burst  forth  in  greater  magnificence  than  ever, 
the  thunder  rolled,  the  lightning  still  flashed,  the  sea  was 
roaring  around,  and  the  two  small  boats  floated  over  the 
billows  before  the  wind,  and  entirely  at  its  mercy. 

At  last,  in  about  fifty  minutes  from  the  first  stroke,  one 
long  sheet  of  flame  covered  the  wreck,  and  the  Sir  Walter 
Scott  sank. 

The  captain,  crew,  and  passengers,  now  sailed  for  the 
coast.  They  had  few  provisions,  and  their  prospect  was 
gloomy  enough.  The  two  boats  kept  each  other's  company 
all  that  day  and  the  succeeding  night.  It  was  still  blowing 
hard.  At  the  peep  of  dawn,  next  day,  the  captain  espied  a 
sail  to  the  leeward.  It  was  immediately  determined  to  send 
the  gig  to  the  vessel  in  sight,  and  endeavor  to  get  aboard, 
if  possible.  Accordingly,  a  sail  was  rigged  out  of  an  old 
sack,  a  mast  was  raised,  and  this  sail  was  spread  before  the 
wind.  "Mate,"  said  the  captain,  "you  must  go  alone  to 
that  vessel,  and  get  on  board  the  best  way  you  can." 
"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  the  mate.  In  a  short  time  the  gig 
reached  her  destination.  The  vessel  proved  to  be  the 
Saladin.  She  backed  her  yards.  In  another  brief  space 
the  long-boat  neared  her,  and  all  were  taken  on  board  in 
safety. 


THE    FAMINE 


ON    BOARD    OF    THE 


SHIP    FRANCES    MARY, 


Which  foundered  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 

February,  1826. 

N  the  nautical  language  of  the  unfortu- 
nate survivors,  we  give  the  account  of 
the  sufferings  and  horrid  proceedings 
which  took  place  on  board  of  the  ship 
Frances  Mary,  Captain  Kendal,  bound 
from  New  Brunswick  to  Liverpool, 
laden  with  timber. 

''Sailed  from  St.  Johns,  Jan.  18. — 
Feb.  1,  strong  gales  from  the  W.  N.  W.  carried  away  the 
maintopmast  and  mizzenmast-head  ;  hove  too;  got  boat's 
sails  in  the  main  rigging,  to  keep  the  ship  to  the  wind.  At 
11,  P.  M.,  shipped  a  heavy  sea,  which  washed  away  the 
caboose  and  jolly-boat,  and  disabled  five  men.  Feb.  2, 
cleared  tiway  the  wreck,  and  made  sail  before  the  wind  ; 
strong  breezes.  Feb.  5,  11,  A  M.,  strong  gales,  with  a 
heavy  sea ;  clewed  the  sails  up  and  hove  too,  head  to  the 
southward;  shipped  a  sea,  which  carried  away  the  long- 
boat, companion,  tiller,  unshipped  the  rudder,  the  best 
bower  chain  cable,  and  washed  a  man  overboard,  who  was 
afterwards  saved.  Soon  after,  another  sea  struck  us,  which 
stove  our  stern  in.  Cut  away  our  foremast,  and  both  bower 
anchors,  to  keep  the  ship  to  the  wind ;  employed  in  getting 
what  provisions  we  could ;  by  knocking  the  bow-port  out, 
saved  fifty  pounds  of  bread,  and  five  pounds  of  cheese, 
which  we  stowed  in  the  main-top  ;  got  the  captain's  wife 
and  female  passenger  up.  Whilst  we  were  clearing  away 
below,  lightening  the  ship,  most  of  the  people  slept  in  the 
top.  At  daylight,  found  Patrick  Cooney  hanging  by  his 
17 


194     FAMINE  ON  BOARD  OF  A  FOUNDERED  SHIP. 

legs  to  the  cat-harpings,  dead  from  fatigue ;  committed  his 
body  to  the  deep.  Feb.  6,  at  8,  A.  M.,  saw  a  strange  sail 
standing  towards  us ;  made  a  signal  of  distress ;  stranger 
spoke  us,  and  remained  in  company  twenty-four  hours,  but 
received  no  assistance,  the  American  making  an  excuse  that 
the  sea  was  running  too  high  ;  made  a  tent  of  spare  can- 
vass on  the  forecastle,  put  the  people  on  a  short  allowance 
of  a  quarter  of  a  biscuit  a  day.  Feb.  8,  saw  a  brig  to 
leeward;  strong  gales.  Feb.  9,  at  10,  A.  M.,  observed 
the  same  vessel  to  windward  ;  made  the  signal  of  distress ; 
stranger  bore  up  and  showed  American  colors.  Feb.  1,0, 
he  spoke  to  us,  asking  how  long  we  had  been  in  that  situ- 
ation, and  what  we  intended  to  do;  if  we  intended  leaving 
the  ship ;  answered,  '  Yes  ; '  he  then  asked  if  we  had  any 
rigging  ;  answered,  '  Yes.'  Night  coming  on,  and  blowing 
hard,  saw  no  more  of  the  stranger. 

^'Suffered  much  from  hunger  and  thirst.  On  Feb.  11, 
saw  a  large  ship  to  the  northward ;  did  not  speak  her ;  wore 
head  to  the  northward.  At  this  time  all  our  provisions  were 
out ;  suffered  much  from  hunger,  having  received  no  nour- 
ishment for  nine  days!  Feb.  21,  departed  this  life  James 
Clark,  seaman ;  read  prayers,  and  committed  his  body  to  the 
deep.  We  were  at  this  time  on  half  a  gill  of  water  a  day, 
and  suffering  terribly  from  hunger ;  during  the  whole  period 
we  were  on  the  wreck,  we  were  wet  from  top  to  toe.  Feb. 
22,  John  Wilson,  seaman,  died  at  10,  A.  M. ;  preserved 
the  body  of  the  deceased,  cut  him  up  in  quarters,  washed 
them  overboard,  and  hung  them  up  on  pins.  Feb.  23,  J. 
Moore  died,  and  was  thrown  overboard,  having  eaten  part 
of  him,  such  as  the  liver  and  heart.  From  this  date  to  Sat- 
urday the  5th  of  March,  the  following  persons  perished  from 
hunger  —  Henry  Davis,  a  Welsh  boy  ;  Alexander  Kelly,  sea- 
man ;  John  Jones,  apprentice  boy,  nephew  of  the  owner ; 
James  Frier,  cook  ;  Daniel  Jones,  seaman ;  John  Hutchin- 
son, seaman,  and  John  Jones,  a  boy ;  threw  the  last  named 
overboard,  his  blood  being  bitter;  also,  James  Frier,  who  was 
working  his  passage  home,  under  a  promise  of  marriage  to 
Ann  Saunders,  the  female  passenger,  who  attended  on  the 
captain's  wife,  and  who,  when  she  heard  of  Frier's  death, 
shrieked  a  loud  yell,  then  snatching  a  cup  from  Clark,  the 
mate,  cut  her  late  intended  husband's  throat,  and  drank  his 


HORRIBLE    FOOD.  195 

blood,  insisting  that  she  had  the  greatest  right  to  it;  a 
scuffle  ensued,  and  the  heroine  got  the  better  of  her  ad- 
versary, and  then  allgwed  him  to  drink  one  cup  to  her 
two. 

"  On  Feb.  26,  an  Enghsh  brig  hove  in  sight ;  hoisted  the 
ensign  downward ;  stranger  hauled  his  wind  toward  us,  and 
hauled  his  foresail  up ;  when  abreast  of  us,  kept  his  course 
about  one  mile  distant,  and  set  his  foresail ;  we  soon  lost 
sight  of  him  ;  fresh  breeze,  with  a  little  rain,  the  sea  quite 
smooth  ;  but  he  went  off,  having  shown  EngUsh  colors  ;  had 
he,  at  this  time,  taken  us  off  the  wreck,  much  of  the  sub- 
sequent dreadful  suffering  would  have  been  spared  us. 

"  On  March  7,  his  majesty's  ship  Blonde  came  in  sight, 
and  to  our  relief,  in  lat.  44°  43'  N.,  long.  21°  bl'  W.— 
Words  are  quite  inadequate  to  express  our  feehngs,  as  well 
as  those  which  Lord  Byron,  her  commander,  and  our  de- 
liverer, most  evidently  possessed,  when  he  found  he  had 
come  to  rescue  six  of  their  fellow-creatures,  two  of  them 
females,  from  a  most  awful  and  lingering  death.  It  came 
on  to  blow,  during  the  night,  a  fresh  gale,  which  would,  no 
doubt,  have  swept  us  all  overboard.  Lieutenant  Gambier 
came  in  the  ship's  cutter  to  bring  us  from  the  wreck.  He 
observed  to  us,  '  You  have  yet,  I  perceive,  fresh  meat ; '  to 
which  we  were  compelled  to  reply,  '  No,  sir;  it  is  part  of  a 
man,  one  of  our  unfortunate  crew ;  it  was  our  intention  to 
put  ourselves  on  an  allowance,  even  of  this  food,  this  even- 
ing, had  not  you  come  to  our  relief.'  The  master's  wife, 
who  underwent  all  the  most  horrid  sufferino^s  which  can  be 
imagined,  bore  them  much  better  than  could  have  been  pos- 
sibly expected.  She  is,  though  greatly  emaciated,  a  respect- 
able, good-looking  woman,  about  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
and  the  mother  of  a  boy  seven  years  of  age. 

"  What  must  have  been  the  extremity  of  want  to  which 
she  was  driven,  when  she  ate  the  brains  of  one  of  the  ap- 
prentices, saying  it  was  the  most  delicious  thing  she  ever 
tasted!  It  is  melancholy  to  add,  that  the  person,  whose 
brains  she  thus  was  forced  by  hunger  to  eat,  had  been  three 
times  wrecked  before  ;  and,  in  one  instance,  he  was  provi- 
dentially picked  up  by  a  vessel,  after  being  two-and-twenty 
days  on  the  wreck,  water-logged.  In  the  present  instance 
he  perished,  having  survived  similar  sufferings  for  a  space  of 


196 


FAMINE    ON    BOARD    OF    A    FOUNDERED    SHIP. 


twenty-nine  days,  and  then  became  food  for  his  remaining 
shipmates  !  Miss  Ann  Saunders,  the  other  female,  had  more 
strength  and  fortitude,  in  her  calamity,  than  most  of  the 
men.  She  performed  the  duty  of  cutting  up  and  cleaning 
the  dead  bodies,  keeping  two  knives  in  her  monkey-jacket. 
When  the  death  of  any  of  the  company  was  announced,  she 
would  sharpen  her  knives,  bleed  the  deceased  in  the  neck, 
drink  his  blood,  and  cut  him  up.  From  want  of  water,  those 
who  perished  drank  their  own  urine  and  salt  water  ;  they  be- 
came foolish,  crawling  upon  their  hands  round  the  deck,  and 
died,  generally,  raving  mad." 


THE    HEROISM 

OF 

A   STEAMBOAT   ENGINEER, 

DURING  A   GALE   ON    LAKE    ERIE, 
November,  1838, 

AMONG  the  perilous  scenes  of  the  heavy  gale  on  Lake 
Erie,  in  November,  1838,  which  caused  such  wide-spread 
disaster  to  the  lake  shipping,  one  has  come  to  our  knowl- 
edge, equalling,  in  interest,  the  most  highly-wrought  tale  of 
fiction.  In  that  fearful  night,  the  steamboat  Constitution, 
of  Buffalo,  Captain  Appleby,  was  out  amidst  the  terrors  of 
the  gale.  By  the  glimpses  caught  at  intervals,  when  the 
fitful  storm  for  a  moment  broke  away,  the  anxious  and 
watchful  commander  was  made  aware  of  the  critical  situ- 
ation of  his  boat,  which  was  rapidly  drifting  in  —  under  the 
hurricane  power  of  the  gale,  which  blew  almost  directly 
across  the  lake — ^ toward  a  dangerous  reef,  from  which  escape 
would  have  been  impossible.  He  went  directly  to  the  en- 
gineer, and  ordered  on  ''  more  steam."  The  reply  of  the 
engineer  was,  that  there  was  already  as  much  on  as  the 
boilers  would  safely  bear. 

Again  did  the  captain  seek  the  deck,  to  see  if  his  labor- 
ing boat  was  making  headway,  and  again  returned  to  the 
engine-room.  He  explained  to  the  engineer  their  hazardous 
situation,  and  told  him  that  all  hope  was  lost  if  no  more 
headway  could  be  gained,  but  left  the  engineer  to  act  his 
discretion  in  the  crisis.  A  moment  of  reflection,  and  his 
decision  was  made.  Life  or  death  hung  on  the  issue.  Cer- 
tain destruction  awaited  the  boat  and  her  devoted  crew,  in 
a  few  brief  minutes,  if  she  did  not  gain  upon  the  storm. 
This  might  be  averted  if  the  boilers  —  already  crowded  to 
a  fearful  pressure  —  could  yet  bear  a  heavier  strain ;  and 
that  he  determined  to  try.  True,  the  awful  horrors  of  an 
17  * 


198  THE    HEROISM    OF    A    STEAMBOAT    ENGINEER. 

explosion  were  vividly  before  his  eyes ;  the  mangled  limbs, 
the  scorched  and  lifeless  bodies,  the  death  shrieks,  and  the 
groans  of  the  hapless  victims,  were  before  him  and  in  his 
ear:  the  alternative  was  a  fearful  one,  yet  it  must  be  re- 
sorted to. 

He  coolly  directed  the  heads  of  two  barrels  of  oil  to  be 
broken  in,  and  the  furnaces  were  rapidly  fed  with  wood 
dipped  in  the  highly-inflammable  liquid,  while  two  men, 
with  ladles,  dashed  the  oil  into  the  flames.  The  intense 
heat,  which  these  combustibles  created,  generated  steam 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  and  soon  the  resistless  vapor 
forced  up  the  safety-valve,  and  issued  forth  with  tremendous 
violence  ;  its  sharp  hiss  was  heard  above  the  wild  uproar  of 
the  waters  and  the  storm.  With  a  desperate  and  determined 
courage,  which  equalled  the  most  daring  heroism  that  the 
page  of  history  has  ever  recorded,  the  engineer  sat  down 
upon  the  lever  of  the  safety-valve,  to  confine  and  raise  the 
steam  to  the  necessary  power  required  to  propel  the  boat 
against  the  drifting  waves !  In  this  awful  situation,  he 
calmly  remained  until  the  prodigious  efforts  of  the  engine 
had  forced  the  Constitution  sufficiently  off"  shore  to  be  be- 
yond the  threatened  danger. 

This  intrepid  act  was  not  a  rash  and  vainglorious  attempt 
to  gain  the  applause  of  a  multitude  by  a  foolhardy  exposure 
of  life  in  some  racing  excursion ;  it  was  not  the  deed  of  a 
drunken  and  reckless  man,  wickedly  heedless  of  the  safety 
of  those  whose  lives  were  perilled ;  but  it  was  the  self-pos- 
sessed and  determined  courage  of  one  whose  firmness  is 
worthy  of  all  admiration. 


THE 


HISTORY    OF    BAMBOROUGH    CASTLE, 

ON    THE 

NORTH-EASTERN  COAST  OF  ENGLAND  5 

WITH  THE 

HEROISM  OF  GRACE  DARLING, 

OF    THE 

LONGSTONE  LIGHTHOUSE, 


Kesciiing  the  Shipwrecked  Company  of  the  Forfar- 
shire  Steam-Packet,  September,  1838. 


N  an  eminence  on  the  sea-coast,  about 
four  miles  from  Belford,  in  Northum- 
berland, is  the  very  ancient  castle  of 
Bamborough,  founded  by  Ida,  first  king 
of  the  Northumbrians,  A.  D.  548. — 
Penda,  the  Mercian,  attempted  to  burn 
it,  in  672,  by  setting  fire  to  piles  of 
wood  laid  against  its  walls  ;  but  the  wind  blowing  contrary, 
the  flames  caught  his  own  camp,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
raise  the  siege.  It  was  destroyed  by  the  Danes  in  993 ;  but 
about  the  time  of  the  conquest  it  was  again  in  good  repair. 
Some  time  afterwards  the  castle  lost  the  greatest  part  of  its 
beauty  during  a  siege. 

In  the  reign  of  Ehzabeth  it  was  held  by  Sir  John  Forster, 
as  governor ;  and  his  grandson  obtained  a  grant  of  it,  and 
the  manor,  from  James  the  First.  His  descendant  forfeited 
it  in  1715;  but  this  person's  maternal  uncle.  Lord  Crew, 
bishop  of  Durham,  purchased  the  estate ;  and  in  1720  be- 


SOO  AN    ACCOUNT    OF    BAMBOROUGH    CASTLE. 

queathed  the  castle  and  adjoining  manor  for  charitable  pur- 
poses. Under  his  will,  it  is  in  the  hands  of  five  clergymen, 
as  trustees,  who  reside  here  in  turn  at  their  own  expense. 
Arclideacon  Sharpe,  about  the  year  1757,  began  the  re- 
pairs of  the  castle,  on  which  he  expended  large  sums  out 
of  his  own  purse.  Since  his  time  much  more  has  been 
done,  and  various  parts  of  this  venerable  fortress  reclaimed 
from  ruin. 

Bamborough  Castle  is  a  most  imposing  and  magnificent- 
looking  pile.  It  stands  upon  a  basalt  rock,  of  triangular 
shape,  high,  rugged,  and  abrupt,  on  the  land  side  ;  flanked 
by  the  sea,  and  strong  natural  ramparts  of  sand,  matted 
together  with  sea-rushes,  on  the  east ;  and  accessible  to  an 
enemy  only  on  the  south-east,  which  is  guarded  by  a  deep, 
dry  ditch,  and  a  series  of  towers,  in  the  wall,  on  each  side 
of  the  gateway.  As  this  rock  is  the  only  one  on  this  part 
of  the  coast,  the  site  of  the  fortress  is  still  more  conspicu- 
ous. It  rises  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  rests  upon  a  stratum  of  mouldering 
stone,  apparently  scorched  with  violent  heat,  and  having 
beneath  it  a  close,  flinty  sandstone.  The  surface  of  the 
rock  is  beautifully  besprinkled  with  lichens  of  various  rich 
tints.  The  walls  and  towers,  by  which  it  is  crowned,  have 
been  repaired  on  the  land  side ;  but  those  on  the  sea  side 
are  still  ruinous.  The  outer  gateway  stands  between  two 
fine  old  towers,  with  time-worn  heads.  The  inner  gateway, 
twelve  paces  from  the  outer,  has  a  portcullis  :  within  this,  to 
the  left,  on  a  lofty  point  of  rock,  there  is  a  very  ancient 
round  tower,  of  great  strength,  commanding  a  pass,  subject 
to  every  kind  of  annoyance  to  the  besieged.  The  keep 
stands  upon  the  area  of  the  rock,  having  an  open  space 
around.  It  had  no  chimney,  but  the  fires  were  made  in 
the  middle  of  a  large  room,  the  floor  of  which  was  of 
stone,  supported  by  arches ;  and  the  light  was  admitted  by 
a  window  near  its  top,  three  feet  square.  All  the  other 
rooms  were  lighted  by  loop-holes.  Within  the  keep  is  a 
draw  well  of  good  water,  one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet 
deep,  cut  through  the  solid  rock.  This  well  was  discovered 
in  1770,  when  the  cellar  was  cleared  of  sand  and  rubbish. 
The  remains  of  the  chapel  were  also  found.  The  chancel 
is  separated  from  the  nave;  and,  after  the  Saxon  manner, 


GRACE    DARLING  S    EARLY    IMPRESSIONS. 


201 


semicircular  at  the  east  end.     The  ancient  font  was  also 
found. 

The  venerable  pile  is  devoted  to  purposes  of  the  most 
extensive  and  practical  benevolence.  A  large  school-room 
is  fitted  up  for  educating  the  boys  of  the  neighborhood,  free 
of  expense ;  and  another  for  the  girls.     In  this  school  Grace 


A  View  of  Bamborough  Castle.* 

Darling  received  her  education  ;  and  the  scenes  which  occa- 
sionally took  place  at  the  castle,  during  storms,  were  well 
calculated  to  arouse  the  mind  of  a  child  —  the  signal  guns 
of  distress,  which,  on  those  occasions,  thundered  from 
the  lofty  battlements,  and  shook  the  massive  walls  of  the 
school-room  ;   the  rapid   arrival  of  the  neighboring  inhab- 

This  is  a  correct  view  of  the  Castle,  drawn  from  .nature,  by  that  cele- 
brated artist,  the  late  William  Daniel,  Esq.,  Pt.  A. 


202  AN    ACCOUNT    OF    BAMBOROUGH    CASTLE. 

itaiits  for  the  life-boat  and  apparatus  for  communicating 
with  wrecked  vessels;  their  departure  for  the  place  of 
distress,  and  return  with  the  shivering  and  half-naked  sur- 
vivor, or  the  lifeless  form  of  the  drowned  mariner.  Amid 
these  scenes  the  youthful  mind  of  Grace  imbibed  those  com- 
passionate and  heroic  feelings,  which  afterwards  prompted 
her  to  peril  her  own  life  in  rescuing  those  of  the  unfortunate 
survivors  of  the  Forfarshire. 

Her  predilection  for  learning  was  truly  exemplary ;  and  — ■ 
as  the  Feme  Islands  are  situated  but  a  short  distance  seaward 
from  the  castle  —  from  the  age  of  about  twelve  years,  it  was 
her  usual  practice  to  go  to  school  alone,  from  the  Longstone 
lighthouse;  and  she  thus  acquired  great  skill  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  boat. 

But  to  return  to  the  charities  of  the  castle.  A  suite  of 
rooms  are  allotted  to  two  mistresses  and  twenty  poor  girls ; 
who,  from  their  ninth  year,  are  lodged,  clothed,  and  edu- 
cated, until  they  are  fit  to  go  to  service.  Here,  too,  is  a 
granary  of  corn  and  meal;  also,  a  market  for  provisions 
and  groceries,  which  are  sold  to  the  poor,  at  prime  cost, 
on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays. 

Other  apartments  are  fitted  up  for  the  reception  of  ship- 
wrecked sailors ;  and  bedding  is  provided  for  thirty,  should 
such  a  number  happen  to  be  cast  on  shore  at  the  same 
time.  The  castle  serves,  also,  as  a  signal-house,  to  warn 
vessels,  in  hazy  and  stormy  weather,  from  the  rocks  of  the 
Feme  Islands,  situated  off  the  base  of  the  cliff.  A  life-boat 
and  implements  of  all  kinds,  for  succoring  vessels  in  dis- 
tress, are  kept  here ;  and  means  are  employed  for  prevent- 
ing wrecks  from  being  plundered,  and  for  restoring  them  to 
their  owners.  A  constant  patrol  is  kept,  every  stormy  night, 
along  this  tempestuous  coast  for  above  eight  miles,  —  the 
length  of  the  manor,  —  by  which  means  a  number  of  lives 
have  been  preserved.  Many  poor  wretches  are  often  found 
on  the  shore  in  a  state  of  insensibility ;  but  by  timely  relief 
their  lives  are  preserved. 

That  all  seamen  may  be  informed  of  the  circumstances 
of  this  charity,  a  printed  account  is  published,  under  direc- 
tion of  the  Trinity-house,  in  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  contain- 
ing ample  directions  for  signals,  both  on  shore  and  at  sea ; 
a  statement  of  the  assistance,  stores,  and  provisions,  pre- 


LEAK    IN    THE    BOILER.  203 

pared  for  shipwrecked  mariners ;  and  rewards  specified  for 
those  most  active  in  giving  notice  of  vessels  in  distress,  or 
assisting  their  crews. 

The  Loss  of  the  Forfarshire. 

The  Forfarshire  was  a  beautiful  steam-packet,  nearly 
new,  and  had  on  board  a  valuable  cargo,  and  upwards  of 
forty  passengers  ;  and  a  crew  of  twenty-one  persons.  She 
sailed  between  Dundee  and  Hull,  which  latter  place  she  left 
on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  September  5th,  1838,  and 
had  proceeded  as  far  as  Bamborough,  when  a  leak  was  dis- 
covered in  the  boiler,  and  it  was  reported  that  the  pumps 
were  no  longer  able  to  supply  the  boiler  with  water.  On 
Thursday  morning  both  deck-pumps  were  employed  without 
effect :  and  two  of  the  furnaces  were  extinguished,  for  fear 
of  injuring  the  boiler.  The  boiler  was  partially  repaired, 
when  the  furnaces  were  rekindled ;  the  vessel  being  still 
under  way,  and  having  both  deck  and  engine-pumps  at  work. 
At  eight  o'clock,  the  wind  began  to  blow  strong  from  the 
north-north-east,  and  the  leak  in  the  boiler  had  increased  to 
such  a  degree  that  the  deck-pumps  were  unable  to  keep  the 
vessel  clear  of  the  boiling  water,  which  leaked  from  the  boiler 
as  fast  as  it  could  be  pumped  in,  and  the  firemen  could  not 
keep  the  fire  burning. 

About  one  o'clock,  A,  M.,  on  Friday,  the  engineer  re- 
ported that  the  engine  would  not  work.  The  sails  were 
then  set,  fore  and  aft,  with  a  view  to  keep  her  off  the  land. 
The  rain  was  falling  heavily  at  the  time,  and  the  gale  con- 
tinuing with  great  violence.  Captain  Humble  was  unremit- 
ting in  his  endeavors  to  preserve  the  vessel  and  the  lives  of 
the  passengers ;  unfortunately,  the  fog  was  so  dense  at  the 
time,  that  they  were  unable  to  perceive  the  lights  until  they 
were  very  near  them. 

Meanwhile,  the  vessel  was  drifting  to  leeward,  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  push  her  between  the  Feme  Islands, 
but  she  refused  to  answer  her  helm ;  and  at  three  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  she  struck  upon  what  is  called  the  "  Longstone,  or 
Outer  Feme  Island,"  and  little  chance  of  escape  was  left  for 
the  unfortunate  individuals  —  forty  in  number  —  who  were 
on  board.     The  second  sea  that  struck  the  vessel,  after  she 


204  THE  STORY  OF  GRACE  DARLING. 

went  on  the  rock,  swept  all  away  abaft  the  foremast,  —  hur 
rying  into  another  world  the  captain,  and  nearly  all  of  his 
ill-fated  companions.     The  captain  and  his  wife  perished  in 
each  other's  arms. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  flag  at  Bamborough  Castle  was 
hoisted  half  mast,  as  a  signal  of  distress ;  and  alarm  guns 
fired  along  the  coast  to  arouse  the  fishermen,  in  order  to 
man  the  life-boat.  But  the  life-boat  could  not  possibly  get 
near  the  rocks  to  render  any  effective  assistance  to  the  suf- 
ferers ;  but  every  thing  was  done  that  human  ingenuity  or 
enterprise  could  suggest.  One  of  the  survivors,  Mr.  Dono- 
van, had  his  leg  greatly  maimed ;  and  he  lay  for  three  hours 
holding  by  a  spike  nail.  The  vessel  was  a  total  wreck  in 
less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  she  struck.  Several 
others  suffered  severely  from  the  cold  and  heavy  seas,  having 
all  their  clothes  torn  in  pieces.  They  were  despairing  of 
deliverance,  and  were  looking  about  to  provide  for  their  se- 
curity during  the  following  night.  But  the  most  agonizing 
spectacle  was  that  of  Mrs.  Dawson  and  her  two  children,  a 
boy  and  a  girl,  five  and  seven  years  of  age,  firmly  grasped 
in  each  hand  ;  there  she  held  them,  in  the  agonies  of  despair, 
long  after  the  buffetings  of  the  waves,  which  drove  them  to 
and  fro,  had  deprived  them  of  existence. 

Mr.  Ritchie,  one  of  the  cabin  passengers,  retired  to  his 
berth.  About  three  o'clock,  on  Friday  morning,  he  felt  the 
vessel  strike ;  he  leaped  from  his  bed,  rushed  on  deck,  but, 
ere  he  had  accomplished  so  much,  she  struck  the  second 
time,  and  almost  immediately  went  in  two  pieces.  On 
reaching  the  deck,  he  perceived  that  part  of  the  crew  — 
eight  in  number  —  had  taken  to  the  boat ;  and  as  they  had 
not  left  the  side  of  the  vessel,  he  was  fortunate  in  lowering 
himself  into  it.  The  agitation  of  the  sea  immediately 
separated  the  boat  from  the  vessel ;  and  he  had  the  agony 
of  beholding  his  uncle  and  aunt  reach  the  deck ;  and,  on 
recognizing  him  in  the  boat,  they  attempted  to  leap  into  it, 
but  failed,  and  perished  before  his  eyes.  The  boat  being 
entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  sea,  it  was  carried  rapidly  be- 
yond the  wreck  ;  but  before  the  crew  lost  sight  of  the  wreck, 
they  saw  the  other  boat  of  the  vessel  swamp.  "  The  boat 
itself  escaped  by  something  little  short  of  a  miracle.  There 
was  but  one  outlet  by  which  it  could  avoid  being  dashed  in 


THE    VESSEL    BREAKS    IN    TWO. 


205 


pieces  on  the  breakers  by  which  it  was  surrounded.  This 
outlet  it  fortunately  took  without  its  crew  being  aware  of 
it ;  and  after  being  exposed  to  the  storm  all  night,  it  was 
picked  up  by  a  sloop  and  carried  into  Shields. 

''  In  less  than  five  minutes  after  the  vessel  struck,  a  second 
shock  separated  her  into  two  parts  ;  the  stern,  quarter-deck, 
and  cabin,  being  instantly  borne  away,  —  through  a  passage 
called  the  Piper  Gut,  —  by  a  tremendous  current,  which  runs 
with  considerable  violence  even  in  temperate  weather,  with 
a  rapidity  of  about  six  miles  an  hour,  but  which,  when  the 
weather  is  tempestuous,  flows  with  a  force  truly  terrific. 

"  The  fore-part  of  the  vessel,  in  the  mean  time,  remained 


Grace  Darling  and  her  Father  proceeding  to  the  Forfarshire. 

fast  on  the  rock,  and  to  it  still  clung  the  kw  passengers  who 
remained,  every  instant  expecting  to  share  the  fate  of  their 
unfortunate  companions,  whom  they  had  seen  swept  away 
by  the  raging  element.  In  this  dreadful  situation,  their  cries 
attracted  the  notice  of  Grace  Darling,  the  daughter  of  the 
keeper  of  the  Outer  Feme  lighthouse.  With  a  noble  hero- 
ism, she  immediately  determined  to  attempt  their  rescue,  in 
18 


206  THE  STORY  OF  GRACE  DARLING. 

spite  of  the  raging  of  the  storm,  and  the  all  but  certain  de- 
struction which  threatened  to  attend  it. 

*' Having  hastily  awakened  her  father,  he  launched  his 
boat  at  daybreak,  and  with  a  generous  sympathy,  worthy 
of  the  father  of  Grace  Darling,  prepared  to  proceed  to  their 
rescue.  The  gale,  in  the  mean  time,  continued  unabated, 
and  the  boiling  of  the  waves  threatened  a  speedy  destruction 
to  their  frail  boat.  It  was,  therefore,  with  a  heart  full  of  the 
most  fearful  forebodings,  that  he  undertook  the  perilous  en- 
terprise. After  watching  the  wreck  for  some  time,  they  dis- 
covered that  living  beings  were  still  clinging  to  it ;  and  the 
gallant  young  woman,  with  matchless  intrepidity,  seized  an 
oar  and  entered  the  boat." 

Those  unacquainted  with  the  tempestuous  state  of  the 
Feme  Islands,  during  a  storm,  will  be  unable  to  appreciate 
the  praiseworthy  deed  of  daring  performed  by  Mr.  Darling 
and  his  daughter,  Miss  Grace  Horsely  Darling.  By  a  dan- 
gerous and  desperate  effort,  her  father  was  landed  on  the 
rock  in  the  frail  coble.  To  preserve  it  from  being  dashed  in 
pieces^  it  was  rapidly  rowed  back  among  the  awful  abyss  of 
waters,  and  kept  afloat  by  the  skilfulness  and  dexterity  of 
this  noble-minded  young  woman.  They  succeeded  in  saving 
the  lives  of  the  nine  persons  ;  and,  by  the  assistance  of  some 
of  the  crew,  they  were  enabled  to  bring  the  coble  and  its 
burden  to  the  Longstone  lighthouse ;  otherwise  return  and 
aid  would  have  been  impracticable,  from  the  state  of  the 
current.  This  perilous  achievement  stands  unexampled  in 
the  feats  of  female  fortitude.  From  her  isolated  abode, 
where  there  was  no  solicitation  or  prospect  of  reward  to 
stimulate,  impelled  alone  by  tlie  pure  promptings  of  hu- 
manity, she  made  her  way  through  desolation,  and  impend- 
ing destruction,  appalling  to  the  stoutest  hearts,  to  save  the 
lives  of  her  fellow-beings.  One  of  the  old  seamen  was 
moved  to  tears,  when  he  saw  a  young  female,  of  slender 
appearance,  perilling  her  life  for  their  preservation.  Mr. 
Darling  has  lived  long  upon  the  island.  By  his  watchful- 
ness and  care,  he  has,  in  numberless  instances,  prevented 
the  destruction  of  life  and  property,  and  has  himself  saved 
many  lives,  when  precautionary  measures  were  no  longer 
available.     Of  all  the  vessel's  company,  only  eighteen  sur- 


MRS.    DAWSON    AND    HER    CHILDREN.  207 

vived ;  nine  were  saved  in  the  boat,  and  nine  rescued  by 
Grace  Darling  and  her  father. 

The  fame  of  Grace  DarHng  soon  extended  to  the  sur- 
rounding country  ;  and,  in  a  few  days  after  the  catastrophe, 
an  intelHgent  gentleman  of  Berwick  visited  the  locality  of 
the  wreck,  from  whom  we  have  the  following  particu- 
lars :  — 

"  We  have  this  week  paid  a  visit  to  the  wreck,  which  is 
lying  in  much  the  same  state  that  it  was,  only  somewhat 
more  gutted  by  the  occasional  dashing  of  the  billows  amongst 
its  timber  and  planks.  Upon  this  occasion,  owing  to  the 
low  tide,  the  extent  of  the  rock  was  much  more  conspicu- 
ous than  before.  The  starboard  side  of  the  ill-fated  vessel 
lies  chock  up  against  a  sort  of  shelf  of  the  rock,  the  deck 
slightly  inclining.  When  she  went  in  two  here,  the  sea,  of 
course,  instantly  rushed  into  her  engine-room,  which  was 
then  exposed,  at  the  end  where  the  breach  had  taken  place, 
to  all  the  fury  of  the  raging  billows.  The  fore-cabin,  situ- 
ated beyond  the  engine-room,  was  soon  laid  open,  also,  and 
gutted  of  all  its  furniture  and  fittings.  Here  it  was  that  the 
poor  woman,  Mrs.  Dawson,  and  her  two  children,  were  sur- 
rounded by  the  merciless  element.  They  were  lying  on  the 
floor,  it  is  believed,  the  anxious  mother  clasping  a  child  in 
each  arm,  when  the  billows  broke  through  the  frail  partition 
that  now  alone  sheltered  them  from  their  fury ;  fiercely 
struck  them  ever  and  anon  with  its  briny  surge,  and  at 
length  destroyed  first  one  and  then  the  other  of  the  chil- 
dren in  the  arms  of  their  agonized  parent,  whom  it  had 
nearly  consigned  to  a  similar  fate.  One  of  the  bodies  of 
the  children,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  washed  out  of  its 
mother's  arms,  and  found  among  the  floating  wreck ;  the 
other  she  still  retained  in  her  grasp  until  taken  up  to  a  place 
of  comparative  safety  upon  a  rock. 

"  The  most  striking  object  in  the  wreck  is  the  mass  of 
machinery.  Cylinders,  pistons,  tubes,  pumps,  —  the  whole 
engine,  in  short,  '  with  all  appliances  and  means  to  boot,'  — 
there  lies, 

*  One  glorious  chaos  and  wild  heap.' 

*'  The  machinery  bears  every  mark  of  having  been  of  first- 
rate  manufacture,  and  the  fallen  pillars  and  arches  seem  to 


208  THE     STORY    OF    GRACE    DARLING. 

remind  one  of  the  prostrate  ruins  of  some  Grecian  temple. 
Another  object  of  attraction  was  the  figure-head, — a  full 
length,  sylph-hke  female  figure,  gilded,  —  which,  with  waving 
hand  and  a  smiling  mien,  yet  stood  gayly  erect  amid  the 
scene  of  ruin  and  desolation.  It  was  twilight  when  we  took 
a  last  look  of  the  airy  and  shining  form,  perched  aloft,  waving 
her  outstretched  hand  over  the  wreck  below,  and  the  effect 
was  extremely  imposing." 

Visit  to  the  Longstone  Lighthouse. 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  sunset  when  we  were  at  the  wreck. 
The  last  gleams  of  golden  tint  had  faded  away,  and  night 
was  gradually  closing  in  upon  us,  when  we  quitted  the  rock. 
We  could  not  find  in  our  hearts  to  quit  the  spot,  late  though 
it  was,  without  visiting,  were  it  only  for  a  few  minutes,  the 
Longstone  lighthouse,  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Darlings, 
whose  humane  and  gallant  conduct  in  putting  oflf  to  the  res- 
cue of  the  survivors  on  the  wreck,  at  the  imminent  peril  of 
their  lives,  has  already  been  described.  Old  Darling  was 
waiting  off  in  his  boat,  to  take  the  carpenter  to  his  island. 
We  all  went  together,  and  as  we  approached  the  lighthouse, 
the  heroine,  Grace  Darling  herself,  was  descried  high  aloft, 
lighting  the  lamps,  whose  revolving  illumination  has  warned 
so  many  an  anxious  mariner  of  the  rocks  and  shoals  around. 
At  the  side  where  we  alighted,  a  bold  cliff  is  to  be  ascended 
ere  you  reach  the  lighthouse.  Having  gained  its  summit,  we 
were  soon  at  the  door  of  the  hospitable  tower,  and  received 
a  hearty  welcome  from  old  Mrs.  Darling  and  her  dauntless 
daughter.  But  Grace  is  nothing  mascuhne  in  her  appear- 
ance, although  she  has  so  stout  a  heart.  In  person  she  is 
about  the  middle  size,  of  a  comely  countenance,  rather  fair 
for  an  islander,  and  with  an  expression  of  benevolence  and 
softness  most  truly  feminine,  in  every  point  of  view.  When 
we  spoke  of  her  noble  and  heroic  conduct,  she  slightly 
blushed,  and  appeared  anxious  to  avoid  the  notice  to  which 
it  exposed  her :  she  smiled  at  our  praise,  but  said  nothing  in 
reply,  though  her  look,  the  while,  indicated  forcibly  that  the 
consciousness  of  having  done  so  good  and  generous  an 
action,  had  not  failed  to  excite  a  thrill  of  pleasure  in  her 
bosom,  which  was  itself  no  mean  reward. 


GRACE    RELINQUISHES    HER    BED    TO    MRS.    DAWSON.       209 

'  Her  conscious  heart  of  charity  was  warm.' 

"  When  the  nine  wretched  survivors  were  taken  off  the 
wreck  by  old  Darhng  and  his  heroic  daughter,  they  were 
conveyed  at  once  to  the  hghthouse,  which  was,  in  fact, 
their  only  refuge  at  this  time ;  and,  owing  to  the  violent 
seas  that  continued  to  prevail  among  the  islands,  they  were 
obliged  to  remain  there  from  Friday  morning  till  Sunday. 
The  boat's  crew  that  came  off  to  their  assistance,  from  North 
Sunderland,  were  also  obliged  to  remain.  This  made  a 
party  of  nearly  twenty  persons,  at  the  lighthouse,  in  addi- 
tion to  its  usual  inmates ;  and  such  an  unprepared-for  ac- 
cession could  not  fail  to  occasion  considerable  inconveni- 
ence. But  the  Darlings  have  too  much  of  the  milk  of 
human  kindness  about  them  to  be  easily  put  out  of  their 
way  under  any  such  circumstances.  Grace,  characteristi- 
cally enough,  gave  up  her  bed  to  poor  Mrs.  Dawson,  whose 
sufferings  at  this  time,  both  mental  and  bodily,  were  intense, 
and  contented  herself  with  lying  down  on  a  table." 

GRACE  DARLING. 

The  only  impulse  which  could  have  actuated  Grace  Dar- 
ling to  the  heroic  conduct  she  displayed,  was  that  feeling  of 
pity,  which  is  natural  to  a  mind  whose  generosity  and  phi- 
lanthropy are  universal  in  their  application  to  suffering,  in 
whomsoever  felt,  or  in  whatever  shape  it  presented  itself. 
Neither  can  it  be  said  that  her  conduct  was  instigated  by 
selfish  ambition,  or  the  thirst  of  applause ;  for  on  that  lonely 
island  no  eye  beheld  the  deed  save  that  of  Him  who  sees 
amidst  the  darkness  of  the  tempest  as  amidst  the  light  of 
the  noon-day  sun.  Her  only  incitement  could  have  been 
those  feelings  which  the  poet  describes  as  universally  char- 
acteristic of  her  sex  :  — • 

"  Hers  is  warm  pity's  sacred  glow ; 

From  all  her  stores  she  bears  a  part, 
And  bids  the  stream  of  hope  reflow, 
That  languished  in  the  fainting  heart." 

The  situation  of  Grace  Darling  is  a  peculiar  one  for  a 
young  female ;  and  one  which  we  suspect  very  few  of  her 

18* 


210  THE    STORY    OF    GRACE    DARLING. 

sex  would  envy.  Living  on  a  lonely  spot  in  the  middle  of 
the  ocean,  amidst  the  wildest  war  of  the  elements,  with 
the  horrors  of  the  tempest  familiarized  to  her  mind,  and  her 
constant  lullaby  the  sound  of  the  everlasting  deep,  and  the 
shriek  of  the  wild  sea-gull ;  her  only  prospect  that  of  the 
wide-spreading  ocean,  with  the  distant  sail  on  the  horizon, — 
she  is  thus  removed  far  from  the  active  scenes  of  life,  and 
debarred,  save  at  distant  intervals,  from  any  communication 
with  her  own  sex,  and  from  all  those  innocent  enjoyments 
of  society  and  companionship  which,  as  a  female,  must  be 
so  dear  to  her.  And  these  are  circumstances  which  go  a 
long  way  to  enhance  the  admiration  due  to  her  generosity 
and  heroism ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  natural  effect  of 
solitude  and  seclusion  is,  to  deaden  all  the  kindlier  feelings 
of  human  nature ;  and  of  solitude  amongst  the  most  awful 
scenes  of  tempest  and  gloom,  to  imbue  the  breast  with  a 
portion  of  their  own  savage  character.  And  yet,  amidst  all 
these  adverse  circumstances,  do  we  find  her  evincing  a  depth 
of  feeling,  and  a  nobleness  of  soul,  which  we  might  look  for 
in  vain  amongst  many  of  those  of  either  sex  who  are  pam- 
pered in  the  lap  of  luxury,  and  surrounded  with  every 
blessing  which  wealth,  ease,  and  unrestrained  freedom, 
can  bestow. 

To  conclude,  the  fame  of  this  heroic  achievement  has 
spread  far  and  wide  ;  and  presents  of  great  value  have  been 
showered  upon  her.  Eminent  poets,  dramatists,  and  paint- 
ers, have  vied  with  each  other  in  extending  her  renown. 
And  the  name  of  Grace  Darling  is  destined  to  live  in  story, 
long  after  the  ponderous  blocks  of  granite,  which  compose 
the  Longstone  lighthouse,  have  crumbled  from  their  founda- 
tion, and  been  ground  into  sand  by  the  attrition  of  the  sur- 
rounding ocean. 


A    DIARY 


WRECK   OF  E   B.   1.   SHIP  CHALLENGER, 


WESTERN  COAST  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA: 


With  an  Account  of  the  Encampment  of  the  Officers 
and  Crew,  during  a  Period  of  two  Months,  on  the 
South  Coast  ^f  Chili ;  and  their  subsequent  Adven- 

May,  1835. 


tares  on  the  Plains  of  Molguilla 


IT  will  be  in  the  recollection  of  our  naval 
readers,  and,  perhaps,  not  devoid  of  in- 
terest to  others,  to  state  that  the  Chal- 
lenger sailed  from  Portsmouth,  England, 
on  the  20th  of  October,  1833,  with  the 
consul-general  of  Chili,  and  the  consul 
of  Coquimbo,  as  passengers ;  and  after 
touching  at  Madeira,  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
and  East  Falkland,  arrived  at  Valparaiso  on  the  16th  of 
February,  1834. 

Having  visited  the  intermediate  ports  of  Chili,  Bolivia, 
and  Peru,  she  sailed  from  Punah  for  the  Sandwich  and 
Society  Islands ;  and  after  remaining  seventeen  days  at 
Oahu,  one  of  the  former,  and  eighteen  days  at  O'Tahiti, 
of  the  latter  group,  she  returned  to  Valparaiso  on  the  25th 
of  October ;  having,  in  twelve  months,  traversed  a  distance 
of  44,240  nautical  miles. 

After  again  proceeding  to  the  intermediate  ports,  she 
sailed  from  Coquimbo  on  the  5th  of  February,  1835,  with  a 
freight  of  money ;  with  which  she  arrived  at  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
in  thirty-three  days. 


212         THE  WRECK  OF  THE  CHALLENGER. 

On  the  1st  of  April  she  again  sailed  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to 
resume  her  station  on  the  west  coast  of  South  America ;  but 
from  whence  she  was  not  destined  to  return.  "After  baffling 
and  contrary  winds,  we  were  off  Cape  Horn  on  the  29th,  in 
lat.  58^  47'  S.,  when  —  blowing  heavily,  and  a  sea  having 
done  some  damage  abaft  —  she  was  hove  to  for  some  hours 
under  snug  sail.  With  little  intermission,  it  continued  to 
blow  a  gale  till  the  9th  of  May,  and  the  necessity  of  carry- 
ing sail,  during  the  period,  proved,  to  the  admiration  of 
all  on  board,  the  properties  of  the  Challenger  in  bad 
weather. 

*'  On  the  17th,  the  weather  becoming  fine,  we  got  up  the 
top-gallantmasts,  crossed  top-gallant-yards,  and  made  sail; 
course  N.  39^  E.,  lat.  obs.  41°  41'  S.,  long.,  by  chronome- 
ter, 80°  43'  30"  W. 

'•On  the  ISth  the  course  was  N.  51°  E.,  with  fresh 
breezes  ;  at  times  squally  and  hazy ;  no  observation.  The 
following  day,  the  19th,  no  observation;  but  good  sights 
were  had  for  the  chronometers,  which  tended  to  confirm 
the  ship's  position  on  the  charts ;  distant  from  Talcahuana, 
the  port  we  were  bound  to,  about  fifty  leagues;  course 
steered,  N.  39°  E.  At  4  h.  50  m.,  P.  M.,  up  courses  and 
hove  to ;  bent  cables,  and  tried  soundings  in  200  fathoms ; 
no  bottom.  At  5  h.  20  m.  filled  and  set  courses.  At  8  h. 
10  m.  fresh  breezes  and  hazy,  but  stars  at  times  visible; 
braced  sharp  up ;  the  ship's  head  N.  J  E. ;  8  h.  30  m.  set 
jib ;  9  h.  45  m.  observed  breakers  on  the  lee  bow.  The  helm 
w^as  instantly  put  down.  The  captain  flew  upon  deck,  call- 
ing, '  All  hands,  about  ship  ! '  in  his  way,  in  time  to  order  the 
after-yards  to  be  hauled ;  but  before  the  head-yards  were 
trimmed,  a  sm-f  struck  the  ship's  larboard  bow ;  she  lifted 
to  the  heavy  swell,  got  stern-way,  and  in  four  or  five  seconds 
struck  with  a  dreadful  crash ;  her  keel  taking  the  rocks  just 
before  the  mizzenmast.  A  second  shock  immediately  fol- 
lowed, which  threw  heron  her  starboard  beam  ends;  the 
surf,  at  the  same  time,  making  complete  breaches  over  her, 
in  a  body  sufficient  to  wash  the  men  overboard  ;  and  it  ap- 
pears next  to  miraculous,  that,  with  the  difficulty  of  now 
holding  on,^  and  one  watch  only  just  out  of  their  hammocks, 
no  lives  were  lost,  or  greater  injuries  sustained,  than  the 
severe   bruises  received  by   two  men,  who  were   thrown 


THE    MIZZENMAST    CUT    AWAY.  213 

over  the  wheel  She  was  now  rockins^  and  rollinir  on  both 
beam  ends,  and  the  lifts  being  gone,  the  main-yard  was 
swinging  alternately  on  each  side,  and  hanging  parallel  with 
the  shrouds ;  the  mainmast,  at  the  same  time,  when  upright, 
repeatedly  lifting  a  considerable  height,  and  settling  down 
again.  A  few  short  minutes  had  produced  this  awful  change, 
and  the  critical  moment  at  once  required  firmness,  reflection, 
and  fortitude.  The  silent,  insidious  rollers,  in  the  still  fog, 
gave  no  warning ;  and  the  first  that  was  discovered  launched 
us  into  the  breakers,  which  were  only  now  first  seen.  In  a 
few  seconds  they  were  roaring  around  us,  and  the  angry 
surf,  hissing  past  the  ship's  sides,  by  its  vivid  coruscations, 
illumined  the  gloom,  and  made  more  visible  our  frightful 
situation. 

''  By  the  cool  and  judicious  decision  of  cutting  away  the 
mizzen,  and  keeping  the  anchors  fast,  the  ship  rolled  over 
the  rocks,  and  righted  in  the  sand  ;  whereas,  had  she  been 
checked  by  an  anchor,  all  must  have  perished  near  the  spot 
where  she  struck. 

'*  The  water  now  appearing  dark  within  the  breakers, 
another  danger,  in  wave-like  succession,  seemed  to  follow ; 
rendering  it  indispensable  to  let  go  the  anchors,  to  save  the 
ship  from  foundering  in  deep  water.  These  fears  were  by 
degrees  quieted,  by  watching  the  hand  leads  ;  and  finding 
the  ship  more  and  more  imbedded  in  the  sand,  though  quick 
and  shifting,  and  the  anchors  were  still  kept  fast ;  the  pru- 
dence and  good  fortune  of  which  step  daylight  fully  proved. 
The  steady  conduct  of  the  crew,  in  this  extremity  of  danger, 
merits  the  greatest  praise  ;  although  every  heart  must  have 
quailed,  there  was  no  confusion,  nor  the  least  excess  commit- 
ted. If,  on  the  contrary,  under  the  influence  of  fright,  any 
rash  attempts  had  been  made  to  quit  the  ship,  many  lives 
would  have  been  sacrificed,  since  none  could  see  or  tell  the 
fate  of  those  who  went  before  ;  and  such  attempts  must  have 
proved  fatal. 

"  Shortly  after  striking,  the  rudder  was  carried  away, 
the  gun-room  beams  and  cabin-deck  forced  up,  and  the 
water,  coming  in  astern,  flooded  the  gun-room  and  oflicers' 
cabins ;  and  the  ship  appeared  to  be  evidently  bilged,  the 
timbers  on  the  starboard  side  being  heard  to  break  with  a 
fearful  crash. 


214         THE  WRECK  OF  THE  CHALLENGER. 

*'  The  main  deck  ports  had  been  calked  in  for  the  voy- 
age ;  and,  fortunately,  remained  so.  The  main  and  lower 
deck  hatchways  were  battened  down  ;  still  it  was  necessary 
to  scuttle  the  lower  deck,  from  the  quantity  of  water  taken 
in  over  all.  Owing  to  her  drawing  through  the  sand,  the 
hand-pumps,  by  constantly  going,  kept  her  sufficiently  free 
to  admit  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  dry  bread  being  got 
up  and  put  into  water  casks.  Yet,  at  this  time,  so  slender 
vras  the  hope  of  saving  scarcely  any  thing,  or  even  our  lives, 
that  the  ship's  accounts,  and  a  private  packet  or  two,  were 
put  in  a  light  cask,  to  be  thrown  overboard,  on  the  chance 
of  its  reaching  the  shore. 

"  Towards  midnight  some  officers  and  men  thought  they 
perceived  land  ;  and  many  eagerly  crowded  the  poop  to 
catch  a  gleam  of  their  deliverance.  Blue  lights  were  now 
burnt,  and  several  rockets  thrown  in  the  direction,  to  assist 
in  discerning  it ;  but  no  certainty  was  arrived  at  till  after 
the  moon  had  risen,  when,  at  about  2  h.  30  m.,  A.  M.,  the 
sure  sight  of  land  produced  emotions  which  only  they  who 
felt  can  tell.  It  was  a  moment  to  teach  an  impressive  les- 
son to  the  thoughtless,  the  gay,  and  the  presumptuous.  The 
horrors  of  the  preceding  four  hours  had  been  surcharged 
with  the  torturing  apprehension  of  lingering  death  ;  and  dark 
and  desponding  must  be  that  mind  which,  at  such  a  crisis, 
could  not  derive  some  solace  in  the  hope  of  succor  from 
Him  who  governs  the  storm,  and  alone  has  the  power 
to  save. 

"At  daybreak  the  shore  presented  a  long,  flat,  sandy 
beach,  with  a  tremendous  surf,  extending  to  the  south,  a 
distance  interminable  to  the  eye,  and  in  the  W.  N.  W. 
bounded  by  a  head-land  and  projection  of  rocks,  between 
two  and  three  miles  distant. 

*'  To  land  the  crew  was  the  first  object ;  and  measures 
were  taken  accordingly.  The  night  had  been  partly  occu- 
pied in  preparing  the  jolly-boat  and  gigs  as  life-boats.  The 
first  of  these,  with  a  mate  and  brave  picked  crew,  succeeded 
in  landing  through  the  dangerous  surf,  taking  with  them  the 
end  of  the  deep  sea  lead-line ;  but  in  attempting  to  haul  on 
shore  a  hawser  attached  to  it,  their  strength  was  found  une- 
qual to  counteract  the  surf;  a  current  sweeping  along  shore 
from  three  to  four  knots  an  hour.     The  first  gig  was  there- 


A  SHIPWRECK  PREVENTED.  215 

fere  launched  over  the  stern,  to  afford  assistance ;  but  the 
heart-rending  sight  of  her  fate  again  damped  the  hopes  of 
all.  She  broached  to,  was  capsized  and  whirled  over  by 
the  surf;  when  Mr.  Gordon,  midshipman,  and  John  Ed- 
wards, seaman,  were  either  carried  to  sea  by  the  back  set, 
or  buried  in  the  sand  ;  the  bodies  never  afterwards  having 
been  found.  The  others  were  taken  out  of  the  water,  nearly 
exhausted,  more  than  three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  south- 
ward. 

"At  6  h.  40  m.  this  morning,  20th,  to  our  astonishment, 
a  ship  was  discovered,  through  the  haze,  three  or  four  miles 
outside  the  breakers,  standing  directly  for  the  land.  A  main 
deck  port  was  now  opened ;  two  guns  fired,  and  an  ensign 
hoisted,  union  downwards,  as  a  signal  to  her.  She  tacked 
and  stood  off,  showing  Swedish  colors.  She  could  render 
us  no  assistance,  and  little  doubt  can  exist  that  we  were  the 
hapless  beacon  of  her  danger ;  another  hour's  dark  night 
might  have  placed  her  alongside  of  us.  At  8,  A.  M.,  cut 
away  the  fore-topmast.  Two  rafts  having  been  prepared 
with  masts,  spars,  yards,  mess  tables,  casks,  &c.,  at  eleven 
o'clock  the  first  was  hoisted  over  the  side,  with  a  lieutenant 
and  seven  men,  and  carrying  a  kedge,  hawser,  and  hauling 
line,  reached  the  shore  with  difficulty,  far  to  the  south,  and 
was  thrown  so  high  upon  the  beach  that  she  could  not  again 
this  day  be  launched.  This  raft  reached  the  beach  with 
less  difficulty ;  but,  in  the  attempt  to  make  a  second  trip, 
the  surf  upset  it  under  the  stern,  and  one  seaman,  who 
jumped  upon  it,  was  a  long  time  in  great  peril,  whilst  it 
drifted  back  to  the  shore.  At  3,  P.  M.,  the  cutter,  with 
spars  lashed  to  her,  left  the  ship  and  landed  safely,  although 
nearly  filled  with  water.  The  officers  and  men  now  landed 
only  amounted  to  about  fifty.  All  hands,  from  excessive 
fatigue,  and  drenched  with  water,  required  relaxation ;  but 
to  those  on  shore,  on  a  desert  sand,  wet  to  the  skin,  and 
without  refreshment,  through  a  bitter,  frosty  night,  much 
comfort  could  not  come ;  and  their  minds  being  under  great 
anxiety  as  to  the  fate  of  their  shipmates  still  on  board,  a 
regular  watch  was  kept  upon  the  beach. 

''  The  captain  had  written  a  letter  to  his  majesty^s  consul 
at  Conception  ;  of  which  the  assistant  surgeon  and  clerk  of 
the  Challenger  had  offered  to  be  the  bearers.     To  find  a 


-216  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    CHALLENGER. 

fit  person  to  conduct  these  gentlemen,  in  an  unknown 
country,  through  woods,  across  rivers,  along  roads,  in  places 
almost  impassable,  was  an  object  of  great  interest ;  but 
w^hich  the  suspicious  countenances  of  the  Indians,  and  the 
impossibility  of  being  understood  by  them,  afforded  little 
promise  of  accomplishing. 

"  By  a  most  fortunate  accident,  Camillio  Hermosillo,  a 
Spanish  Chileno,  holding  a  distant  farm,  happened  to  come 
near  the  place  of  the  wreck  to  purchase  cattle ;  and  this 
honest  man  gave  the  clew  to  all  our  future  correspondence. 
After  some  negotiation,  and  fair  promises  of  reward,  and 
being  piqued  upon  his  Castillian  blood,  he  undertook  to  be- 
come a  guide,  and  procure  the  necessary  horses.  From  this 
person  we  obtained  the  first  outline  of  our  real  situation. 

"  We  were  informed  the  place  of  our  shipwreck  was  Mol- 
guilla,  in  the  province  of  Arauco,  sixty  leagues  south  of 
Conception,  and  about  thirty-six  miles  from  the  Island  of 
Mocha ;  and,  by  observations  afterwards  taken  on  shore 
with  an  artificial  horizon,  in  lat.  37°  38'  south,  long.  73° 
34'  west,  it  lies  at  the  extreme  southern  verge  of  that 
portion  of  the  Indian  territory  in  which  the  Indians  ac- 
knowledge the  authority  of  the  Chilian  government ;  and, 
under  its  influence,  the  Caciques  had,  for  twelve  months 
previously,  been  waging  war  with  the  more  southern  Indians. 
We  also  learnt  that  on  the  20th  of  February  last,  the  city  of 
Conception  had  been  totally  destroyed  by  an  earthquake ; 
since  which,  shocks  had  been  continually  felt  on  the  coast, 
which  we  soon  experienced  ;  particularly  one  on  the  30th, 
during  a  north-west  gale  with  rain,  that  caused  the  candles 
on  the  officers'  tables  to  vibrate  a  foot  or  more.  Our  po- 
sition on  the  beach  was  described  as  untenable,  and  we  were 
recommended  to  take  the  highest  elevation  the  small/sand 
hills  on  this  extensive  flat  afforded,  to  secure  ourselves  from 
the  rising  of  the  sea ;  which  in  three"  days  rose  far  above  the 
spot  where  we  were  now  standing,  and  level  with  the  base 
of  the  small  sand  hills,  of  scarcely  eight  feet  elevation,  on 
which  we  were  encamped. 

"  Having,  at  about  half  past  four,  with  great  satisfaction, 
despatched  our  party  for  Conception,  we  began  to  contem- 
plate our  misfortunes,  which,  though  mitigated  by  escape 
with  life,    still   left   us   in   a   situation   far  from  enviable. 


THEY    ARE    VISITED    BY    A    CACIQUE.  217 

Bounded  in  our  rear  by  a  marsh,  which  the  rainy  season, 
now  at  hand,  would  convert  into  a  lake ;  the  ocean  in  our 
front,  rising  occasionally  within  little  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  of  our  camp,  and  which,  from  the  effect  of  an  earth- 
quake, slight  indeed,  compared  to  that  which  so  recently 
occurred  at  Talcahuana,  when  the  sea  rose  many  feet, 
might  have  swept  us  away  ;  and  the  probability  of  a  visit 
from  the  hostile  southern  Indians,  who,  the  two  preceding 
years,  had  plundered  off  every  article  from  the  unfortunate 
crews  of  four  merchantmen  wrecked  upon  the  coast,  —  left 
us  only  the  uncheering  prospect  of  equivocal  hostility  from 
our  northern  neighbors,  a  barbarous  race,  who  murder  the 
adults  and  sell  for  slaves  the  infant  children  of  their  captured 
enemies. 

''Happily,  however,  the  weather  favored  us,  and  by 
throwing  overboard  guns  and  other  heavy  articles,  back- 
ing up  the  stream  and  kedge  anchors  with  gun-slides  in 
the  sand,  and  hauling  in  upon  our  cables,  by  the  influence 
of  the  surf,  and  great  exertions  at  the  pumps,  the  ship 
was  raised  sufficiently  on  the  beach  to  admit  of  a  stage 
being  constructed  from  the  stern,  with  lower  yards,  spars, 
&c.,  by  which  we  were  enabled  to  land  provisions,  arms, 
ammunition,  and  other  stores ;  and  thus,  for  a  time,  rely 
upon  our  own  resources  for  subsistence  and  defence.  The 
labor  attending  these  operations,  the  men  constantly  wet 
through,  and  having  at  the  same  time  to  pitch  a  camp,  the 
naval  reader,  at  least,  will  well  comprehend. 

"On  the  2Ist  we  had  been  visited  by, the  neighboring 
Cacique  Cheequante,  with  a  considerable  retinue  of  Indians, 
and  a  Spanish  interpreter ;  he  offered  assistance  against  the 
southern  Indians,  of  whom  they  always  evinced  great  dread. 
Although  the  disinterestedness  of  these  offers  was  prudently 
estimated,  policy  enjoined  address  and  conciliation,  to  culti- 
vate their  confidence  and  good  opinion  ;  and  the  captain, 
keeping  in  view  these  considerations,  accepted  the  services 
of  a  few  as  lookout  men  ;  but  on  the  23d,  their  spears 
amounting  to  twenty-seven,  —  formidable  enough  truly,  in 
appearance,  being  bamboo  canes,  with  iron  points,  twenty- 
five  feet  and  upwards  in  length,  —  apprehension  was  felt  by 
the  crew  lest  they  might  be  augmented  to  hundreds,  and  we 
become  victims  to  treachery. 
19 


S18         THE  WRECK  OF  THE  CHALLENGER. 

"  This  immediately  reached  the  captain's  ear,  and  without 
loss  of  time,  he  summoned  the  men  in  camp  around  him ; 
explained  to  them  the  better  motives  of  the  Indians,  yet 
pointing  out  the  propriety  of  observing  distance  with  them, 
and  his  orders  would  exclude  them  from  communication  with 
our  camp ;  and  his  determination  was  to  assume  the  best 
possible  state  of  defence,  and  to  maintain  our  position,  in 
the  event  of  an  attack,  until  information  might  arrive  from 
the  consul  to  govern  our  movements  ;  and  that,  as  British 
seamen,  he  felt  confident  they  would  show,  by  their  obedi- 
ence and  good  conduct,  their  title  to  that  character. 

"  This  short  and  well-timed  address  dissipated  their  mis- 
givings, and  forcibly  exemplified  the  general  confidence 
which  the  mild  exercise  of  authority  is  calculated  to  inspire. 
The  men  were  satisfied,  retired  cheerfully  to  their  tents,  and 
their  hardships  and  privations  in  camp,  although  extended 
to  a  period  of  seven  weeks,  never  afterwards  excited  a 
murmur. 

''  The  next  day  proved  what  the  stimulated  energies  of 
British  seamen  can  accomplish.  They  forgot  their  former 
fatigue,  and,  *  turning  to'  with  a  good  will,  boats,  spars, 
cordage,  casks,  the  boats,  guns,  and  every  description  of 
stores  useful  for  defence,  were  carried  on  their  shoulders, 
and  laboriously  dragged  over  the  heavy  sand ;  and  the  forti- 
fied state  of  our  camp,  by  digging  trenches,  constructing 
barriers  and  platforms  for  the  boat's  guns,  and  bringing  aft 
the  long  guns  on  board,  to  flank  our  encampment,  reflected 
credit  on  every  individual  sharing  in  this  day's  labor.  Our 
works  were  afterwards  improved  ;  and  although  the  bravery 
of  the  Indians  should  not  be  despised,  they  would  have 
bought  a  severe  lesson  by  attacking  us.  Still,  regret  must 
have  attended  any  sacrifice  in  such  bootless  warfare ;  and 
we  have  just  reason  to  conclude,  that  their  knowledge 
of  our  prepared  state  constituted  our  security  from  mo- 
lestation. 

"  On  reaching  Arauco,  our  officers  were  received  with 
great  kindness  by  the  government  authorities,  and  Don  Ber- 
nardino Camio,  a  captain  of  militia  cavalry,  with  twelve 
men,  was  immediately  ordered  to  Molguilla,  the  place  of 
wreck,  where  they  arrived  on  the  24th,  with  a  view,  as 
the  Spanish  despatch  of  Don  Jose  Bustamente  to  the  min- 


IN    DANGER    OF    BEING    ATTACKED    BY    THE    INDIANS.     221 

ister  of  the  interior  afterwards  expressed,  ^  to  prevent  rob- 
bery and  extortion,  and  to  aid  in  resisting  any  attack  that 
the  Indians  might  be  induced  to  make,  from  the  attractions 
this  misfortune  might;  present  to  them  for  pillage.'  This 
party  was  accompanied  by  the  Cacique  Pinoleu,  his  wife 
and  daughter,  with  an  escort  of  several  Indians,  all  mount- 
ed. He  presented  the  captain  with  a  small  ox,  supposing 
us  to  be  straitened  for  provisions.  A  few  presents 
to  the  ladies,  in  return,  were  accepted  with  great  satis- 
faction. 

"  On  the  29th,  blowing  a  northerly  gale,  with  rain,  the 
ship  worked  so  much  that  a  separation  of  the  decks  from 
the  lower  part  of  her  was  feared.  The  foremast  was  cut 
away,  and  the  larboard  sheet-anchor  let  go :  the  mainmast 
and  bowsprit  being  only  now  standing.  The  gale  continu- 
ing on  the  30th,  and  there  being  eight  feet  of  water  in  the 
hold,  it  required  hard  work  at  the  pumps  to  get  most  of 
the  provisions  on  the  lower  deck.  Just  before  one,  this 
morning,  Don  Bernardino  came  to  the  camp  with  informa- 
tion, brought  by  a  horseman  just  arrived,  that  the  Indians 
had  yesterday  been  fighting  near  us,  and  might  shortly  be 
expected ;  recommending  strictly  to  guard  against  their  in- 
sidious mode  of  attack,  particularly  about  daybreak,  and, 
like  them,  '  to  sleep  by  day  and  watch  by  night.'  The  sea- 
men and  marines  were  immediately  under  arms.  The  cap- 
tain made  his  disposition  of  the  force  in  quarter-watches, 
under  arms,  and  gave  orders  as  to  the  plan  of  defence. 
Rockets,  blue  lights,  and  fire  balls,  were  in  readiness,  to 
throw  amongst  the  horses  ;  fires  kept,  and  torches  burnt ; 
the  officers,  till  daylight,  parading  the  camp  with  lanterns. 
The  party  on  board,  under  the  second  heutenant,  were 
equally  on  the  alert ;  firing  a  great  gun,  shotted,  to  aid  the 
demonstration  of  our  watchfulness.  At  daylight  tea  was 
made  for  the  crew,  who  then  rested  an  hour  or  two. 

"  From  this  period  till  the  8th  of  June,  when  the  ship 
was  finally  quitted,  on  the  removal  of  our  encampment, 
little  could  be  done  beyond  retaining  her  as  a  point  d^appui 
to  our  camp,  or,  perhaps,  retreat  if  necessary. 

"  Mr.  Rouse,  the  British  consul,  arrived  at  our  encamp- 
ment, with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Don  Geronimo  Valenzuela, 
the  governor  of  Arauco,  on  the  3 1st  of  May  j  and  their 
19* 


222         THE  WRECK  OF  THE  CHALLENGER. 

arrival  was  hailed  as  the  dawn  of  our  deliverance.  A  con- 
sultation was  immediately  held,  on  the  insurmountable  diffi- 
culties which  the  state  of  the  roads,  at  this  season,  presented 
to  the  march  of  so  large  a  crew  as  that  of  the  Challenger's 
to  "Conception,  a  distance  of  sixty  leagues  ;  it  was  determined 
to  move  to  the  south  of  the  River  Leibii,  about  eighteen  miles 
north,  and  there  await  the  means  of  embarkation.  To  pro- 
ceed this  short  distance  only,  a  sufficient  number  of  mules 
and  horses  could  not  be  collected  without  sending  to  Arauco, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant. 

"  We  now  commenced  the  month  of  June  with  fresh 
stimulus  to  exertion.  The  second  lieutenant  was  despatch- 
ed to  Conception  to  ascertain  the  probability  of  early  assist- 
ance from  any  man-of-war,  or  of  engaging  any  other  vessel, 
capable  of  embarking  the  crew.  A  despatch  had,  in  the  first 
instance,  been  sent,  through  the  consul  at  Conception,  to  the 
consul-general  at  Santiago,  and  another  to  the  commodore, 
to  await  his  arrival  at  Valparaiso ;  which  place  the  intelli- 
gence of  our  shipwreck  did  not  reach  till  the  18th  of  June, 
thirty  days  after  the  wreck.  Some  pieces  of  the  ship's  bot- 
tom this  day  washed  ashore. 

"  On  the  2d  of  June  the  first  detachment,  under  the 
first  lieutenant,  moved  forward,  with  tents  and  other  requi- 
sites, to  commence  an  encampment  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Leibii  River.  On  the  third,  every  mule  that  could  be  mus- 
tered was  sent  on  with  stores,  camp-baggage,  and  provisions, 
and  the  following  day  the  sick  were  removed. 

"  This  evening  Lieutenant-Colonel  Valenzuela  received  a 
letter  from  Arauco,  to  inform  him  that  six  hundred  Indians, 
under  Cadin,  were  within  two  days'  march  of  us,  and  two 
thousand  more  assembled  on  the  hills  to  support  them.  We 
were  therefore  again  on  the  qui  vive. 

"On  the  5th  and  6th  of  June  other  detachments  followed; 
and  on  the  latter  day  the  captain  and  officers  distributed  their 
cabin  furniture,  and  many  other  acceptable  presents,  amongst 
their  Spanish  Chileno  friends. 

"  The  7th  of  June  all  tents  were  struck  at  daylight ;  but 
the  mules  failing,  a  well-appointed  rear-guard  was  left  with 
the  third  lieutenant;  and  soon  after  noon  on  the  Sth,  all 
quitted  a  spot,  the  scene  of  which  imbittered  every  recol- 
lection. 


THE    JOYFUL    ARRIVAL    OF    CAPTAIN    FITZROY.  223 

"  The  situation  of  the  present  encampment  was  the  direct 
opposite  of  the  last.  From  a  flat,  with  deep  sand,  we  were 
now  on  a  steep  accUvity,  in  the  niche  of  a  thick  wood;  and 
the  weather  being  very  wet,  and  the  soil  greasy  and  slippery, 
it  was  difficult  to  preserve  a  footing.  The  River  Leibii  ran 
into  a  bay,  about  two  hundred  yards  below  us,  whence  the 
men  brought  large  stones  to  make  a  foot-path,  and  trenches 
were  dug  to  drain  the  camp.  With  stones,  also,  a  wharf 
was  formed,  and  a  derrick  raised  ready  for  embarking.  The 
large  trees  around  were  felled,  and  the  brush-wood  cleared 
away;  and  a  formidable  ring  fence  made  to  guard  against 
surprise.  On  a  steep  eminence,  flanking  the  south,  a  flag- 
staff was  erected,  a  jack  kept  flying,  and  wood  constantly 
cut  for  fire,  as  signals. 

'•'This  occupation  whiled  away  the  time,  and  kept  the 
men's  thoughts  employed  ;  but  rainy,  tempestuous  weather 
frequently  confined  them  to  their  tents,  in  which  neither 
bedding  nor  clothes  could  be  kept  dry.  The  sick  list  was 
rapidly  increasing,  and  typhoid  symptoms  evident;  pro- 
visions wasting ;  supplies,  from  bad  weather,  precarious ; 
and  the  period  of  release  uncertain.  These  desponding 
considerations  could  not  be  contemplated  without  appre- 
hension. Amongst  these  evils  might  be  enumerated  the  pest 
of  a  large  species  of  mice,  with  prominent  eyes,  and  lizard- 
like feet :  they  swarmed  at  Molguilla ;  but  at  this  place  the 
number  of  these  destructive  marauders  can  scarcely  be 
conceived.  The  hundreds  daily  killed  made  no  difference ; 
they  devoured  every  thing ;  and  the  noise  at  night,  caused 
by  their  running  over  our  tents,  resembled  the  falUng  drops 
of  rain  in  a  heavy  shower. 

"  On  the  23d,  towards  midnight,  '  Challenger ! '  was  hailed 
from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river;  and,  on  the  return  of  the 
boat,  all  hearts  were  gladdened  by  the  presence  of  Captain 
Fitzroy,  of  his  majesty's  brig  Beagle.  This  gallant  officer, 
associating  with  the  spirit  of  true  philanthropy  a  sense  of 
paramount  duty  to  assist  the  crew  of  one  of  his  majesty's 
ships  in  distress,  quitted  his  ship  to  accompany  Commodore 
Mason,  in  his  majesty's  ship  Blonde,  to  Conception,  whence 
he  travelled  on  horseback  with  the  utmost  speed  to  our 
camp ;  and,  having  made  the  necessary  arrangements  with 
Captain  Seymour,  the  next  morning  set  off,  and  with  the 


224         THE  WRECK  OF  THE  CHALLENGER. 

same  despatch  returned  to  the  Blonde.  Less  than  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  this  gentleman's  kindness  would  be  in- 
gratitude. 

"  On  the  26th,  a  report  being  circulated  that  the  wreck 
was  burnt,  an  officer  was  sent  to  Molguilla,  and  ascertained 
that  two  days  before  it  had  been  burnt  to  below  the  copper, 
the  mainmast  burnt  in  two,  and  part  of  it  washed  on  shore ; 
the  shell  of  the  bottom,  and  a  small  part  of  the  head,  being 
all  that  now  remained  to  be  seen  of  that  line  ship.  Some 
tanks,  washed  on  shore,  were  carried  away  by  the  na- 
tives. 

''  From  the  23d,  expectation  was  kept  at  its  height,  until 
Sunday  morning,  the  5th  of  July,  when  'a  sail'  was  re- 
ported from  the  flag-staff.  All  ears  were  open,  and  every 
eye  directed  towards  the  hill ;  and  when  '  Blonde '  was 
hailed  to  the  camp,  a  cheer  followed,  and  every  heart  ex- 
panded with  joy. 

"  Four  boats  immediately  left  the  Blonde  for  the  camp, 
in  preparation  for  the  morrow.  The  next  morning  she 
anchored  on  the  skirt  of  the  bay,  tents  were  struck,  and  the 
embarkation  commenced  at  daylight.  In  the  forenoon  the 
commodore  himself  visited  the  camp,  and  soon  after  sunset 
all  were  embarked ;  and  the  officers  will  long  cherish  recol- 
lections of  the  very  kind  attention  paid  to  their  wants  and 
comforts  by  the  officers  of  the  Blonde. 

"  On  the  8th  of  July,  when  about  to  enter  the  port  of 
Conception,  we  observed  a  schooner  at  leeward,  under  jury- 
masts  ;  on  going  to  her  relief,  she  proved  to  be  the  Carmen, 
which  the  commodore  had  despatched  from  this  port  to  our 
relief.  She  had  been  seen  from  our  flag-staff,  but  the  River 
Leibii  being  incorrectly  laid  down  in  the  charts,  she  ran  past, 
and,  having  been  dismasted  in  a  squall,  and  getting  within 
the  current  that  proved  fatal  to  the  Challenger,  was  for 
some  time  in  danger  of  sharing  her  fate.  The  Blonde  towed 
her  into  Talcahuana  Bay,  where,  and  at  Conception,  we 
were  witnesses  of  the  wide-spreading  desolation  of  the  late 
earthquake. 

"  On  sailing,  next  day,  Mr.  Rouse,  our  worthy  consul,  left 
us,  carrying  with  him  the  warm  esteem  of  Captain  Seymour 
and  his  officers,  and  the  respects  of  all.  For  the  whole  time 
since  his  entering  the  campaign  with  us,  we  had  benefited 


ARRIVAL    HOME. 


225 


by  his  able  services,  added  to  his  official  tact,  his  urbanity, 
and  kind  disposition. 

"  After  touching  at  Valparaiso,  all  the  officers,  and  part 
of  the  Challenger's  crew,  embarked  on  board  H.  M.  ship 
Conway,  at  Coquimbo,  whence  we  sailed,  22d  July,  cheered 
by  the  Blonde,  and  our  own  pleasing  anticipations  of  soon 
rrieeting  the  congratulations  of  our  friends,  and  the  sympa- 
thies of  our  generous  countrymen.  Including  our  stay  of 
one  week  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  we  completed  a  passage  to 
Spithead  in  eighty-four  days ;  during  which,  the  inconve- 
niences of  a  crowded  state  were  obviated  by  attention  to 
our  accommodation,  and  the  arrangements  kindly  made  by 
Captain  Eden. 

'^  The  misfortunes  of  the  Challenger  may  not  be  without 
a  moral  bearing.  Our  costly  experience  may  prove  useful 
to  future  navigators  on  this  dangerous  coast.  With  the 
civilized  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  country  of  grow- 
ing commercial  importance,  the  British  character  has  been 
upheld  ;  and  the  many  relics  of  our  disaster  left  with  the 
rude  natives,  during  our  sojourn  amongst  them,  will  tend 
to  perpetuate  the  event;  and  in  their  remote  traditions 
may  figure,  as  a  leading  tale,  the  fate  of  the  '  Desfiador,' 
and  the  adventures  of  her  crew  on  the  plains  of  Mol- 
guilla." 


NAUTICAL    SKILL 


EVINCED    IN 


EXTRICATLNG    THE    FRIGATE    PIQUE 


HER  PERILOUS   SITUATION   ON   THE 
ROCKS  OF  LABRADOR, 

WHERE    SHE    LOST    HER    KEEL; 

And  the  Passsge  across  the  Atlantic,  dnring  which 
she  lost  her  Rudder,  and  was  steered  Fifteen 
Hundred  Miles  without  one ;  Septeinher,  1835. 


FRIGATE  PiaUE  was  com- 
missioned to  carry  home  to 
England  the  governor-general 
of  the  Canadas  and  suite. 
Accordingly,  Lord  and  Lady 
Aylmer  embarked  in  her,  and  proceeded  down  the  St. 
Lawrence. 

Five  days  after  the  Pique  left  Quebec,  she  reached  the 
entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  having  taken  that 
passage  from  the  force  of  the  southerly  winds.  On  the 
evening  of  the  22d  the  wind  was  on  her  quarter,  and 
she  was  making  rapid  progress ;  but  the  wind  freshening 
about  nine  o'clock,  the  studdingsails  were  taken  in,  and  the 
courses  hauled  up.  At  half  past  ten  the  fore-topsail  was 
on  the  cap,  and  the  men  were  lying  out  to  reef  the  sail, 
when  Captain  Rous,  who  was  on  the  gangway,  saw  breakers 
close  to  the  ship  and  ahead.  The  helm  was  instantly  put 
down,  and  the  ship  readily  answered  it ;  but  in  doing  so,  she 
struck  with  great  violence  on  the  rocks ;  and,  except  being 
lifted  by  the  sea  as  the  waves  came  in,  she  was  immovable. 
She  was  going  about  seven  knots  at  the  time ;  the  weather 


THE    LOSS    OF    THE    RUDDER.  227 

was  thick  and  foggy ;  and  though  the  ship  was  not  fifty 
yards  from  the  rocky  beach,  the  land  was  not  discerned  till 
daybreak.  It  was  about  half-ebb  when  she  struck ;  but  as 
the  tides  do  not  rise  or  fall  much,  she  continued  to  lift  and 
strike,  with  the  exception  of  perhaps  an  hour,  until  she  was 
hove  off  on  the  following  morning  at  nine. 

Here  the  beauty  of  Captain  Symonds's  system  was  emi- 
nent, for  had  she  been  a  common  flat-floored  ship,  she  would 
have  bilged  ;  but,  as  she  is  constructed,  all  the  mischief  was 
spent  on  her  false  keel  and  keelson.  On  her  first  striking, 
the  boats  were  got  out,  and  the  master  sounded  round  her, 
and  two  or  three  anchors  were  got  out  astern  ;  twenty  guns 
were  thrown  overboard,  as  was  the  most  considerable  part 
of  her  shot,  and  about  one  hundred  tons  of  fresh  water  were 
started  and  pumped  out.  The  crew  were  very  active ;  but 
such  was  the  order  observed,  that  they  piped  to  breakfast  as 
usual  the  next  morning ;  and  they  had  not  been  down  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  Captain  Rous  found  the 
ship  move  a  little ;  the  cables  astern  had  been  hauled  taught, 
the  men  were  turned  up,  the  capstans  quickly  manned,  and 
she  was  hove  ofl"  with  apparent  ease,  and  subsequently  was 
got  into  Auce  au  Loup,  or  Wolf's  Cove,  and  by  the  next 
morning  was  put  to  rights  and  went  to  sea. 

On  the  following  Sunday,  the  wind  blowing  fresh,  a  vio- 
lent sea  struck  the  rudder,  —  some  of  the  pintles  and  gud- 
geons of  which  must  have  been  broken  while  thumping  on 
the  rocks,  —  and  tore  it  from  the  stern-post.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  a  temporary  one  on  Captain  Symonds's  plan 
was  got  ready,  but  it  was  found  to  strike  so  violently  against 
the  stern-post  and  counter,  that  it  was  cut  away  ;  and  the 
carpenter  soon  made  another,  on  Pakenham's  plan,  wliich 
was  fixed,  and  the  ship  was  steered  by  it  for  some  days, 
when  that  was  obliged  to  be  cut  away,  from  the  ragged  state 
of  the  bottom  and  copper,  having  chafed  and  cut  the  guys 
which  were  led  forwards.  The  ship  was  now  steered  with- 
out a  rudder  for  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and  when  she  rolled 
much,  made  more  than  three  feet  of  water  an  hour;  and 
from  the  time  of  her  getting  ofl"  the  rocks,  until  her  arrival 
into  port,  never  less  than  twenty  inches. 

On  Sunday  evening  a  N.  N.  W.  wind  had  driven  her 
over  to  the  coast  of  France  ;  but  as  an  excellent  reckoning 


228  THE    PERILS    OF    THE    FRIGATE    PIQUE. 

had  been  kept  of  her  longitude,  they  made  the  Casket 
Hghts  —  within  a  mile  of  where  they  were  expected  to  be 
seen  —  ten  miles  distant.  At  nine  o'clock,  P.  M.,  she  came 
to  an  anchor  in  forty  fathoms,  with  a  good  range  of  cable 
out ;  and  on  Monday  morning  sent  a  vessel,  which  offered 
her  assistance,  into  Guernsey,  for  any  steamer  that  could  be 
found.  Soon  after  noon,  however,  the  wind  being  southerly, 
she  weighed,  and  providentially  reached  St.  Helen's  anchor- 
age early  on  Tuesday"  morning,  steered  only  by  a  cable 
astern,  with  a  gun-carriage  attached  to  the  end  of  it.  Her 
signals  for  assistance  were  quickly  answered  from  the  dock- 
yard, and  Mr.  E.  M.  Hepburn,  with  three  dock  lighters  and 
the  admiral's  tender,  went  immediately  to  her  help.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  tow  her  into  harbor  that  morning;  but 
the  hawsers  breaking,  she  brought  up  again  before  she 
reached  Spithead  ;  and  on  Wednesday  she  was  towed  into 
harbor  by  the  Brunswick,  Plymouth,  steamer. 

The  Pique  saw  only  four  French  vessels  during  her  dis- 
tress;  two  of  them  passed  her  unheeded:  the  third  having 
hove  to  near  her,  at  a  time  when  the  Pique  leaked  freely,  and 
was  without  a  rudder,  it  was  determined  to  put  Lord  and 
Lady  Aylmer  on  board  of  her,  she  being  bound  to  Bordeaux; 
but  on  the  carpenter  going  on  board  to  examine  her,  and 
finding  her  in  as  leaky  and  helpless  a  state  as  the  Pique,  they 
separated.  The  fourth  vessel  promptly  rendered  assistance, 
and  towed  round  the  Pique's  head  so  as  to  put  her  before 
the  wind  ;  she  had  then  been  lying  some  hours  in  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  and  attempts  had  in  vain  been  made  to  get  her 
into  the  position  desired  ;  but  no  sooner  had  the  brig  put 
her  in  that  position,  than  the  Pique  shot  ahead,  and  thereby 
frustrated  any  further  assistance  from  the  brig,  which  could 
not  keep  way  with  her.  To  be  ready  for  the  worst,  the 
boats  were  made  as  seaworthy  as  possible  ;  a  quantity  of 
pork  was  cooked  and  coopered  up  in  small  casks,  as  were 
also  bread,  water,  and  spirits ;  and  to  ease  the  laboring  of 
the  ship,  four  additional  guns  were  thrown  overboard  in  the 
Atlantic. 

No  words  can  describe  the  admirable  conduct  of  the  crew 
during  all  this  difficulty  and  danger ;  they  worked  hard  and 
diligently  ;  they  saw  that  promptitude  only  could  preserve 
the  ship  and  their  lives,  and  they  had  confidence  in  their 


20 


230  THE    PERILS    OF    THE    FRIGATE    PIQUE. 

officers.  The  self-command  of  Captain  Rous,  throughout 
the  whole,  was  preeminent,  and  had  such  a  moral  influ- 
ence over  the  subordinates,  that  his  orders  were  at  once 
understood  and  obeyed ;  indeed,  the  safety  of  the  ship 
mainly  depended  upon  the  exercise  of  great  coolness  and 
decision. 

The  Pique  was  taken  into  dock  on  the  20th  October,  and 
the  crowds  of  people  who  visited  the  yard,  to  inspect  her 
bottom,  was  astonishing.  She  has  lost  her  false  keel  en- 
tirely, and,  upon  an  average,  eight  inches  of  her  keel  are 
gone  fore  and  aft.  The  most  considerable  damage,  how- 
ever, is  forward ;  her  stem  and  fore-foot  being  completely 
gone,  leaving  the  apron  and  stemson  exposed ;  and  the 
planking  forward,  where  it  is  rabbeted  into  the  solid  stem, 
is  left  wholly  unsupported ;  close  to  the  keel,  on  the  lar- 
board side,  just  aft  the  foremast,  is  a  terrific  place,  of  about 
thirteen  feet  in  circumference,  where  she  must  have  ground 
against  a  rock,  the  centre  of  which  has  rubbed  through  the 
planking,  and  within  two  inches  of  the  inner  side  of  the 
floor-timbers.  About  fifteen  feet  farther  aft  is  another 
place,  of  nearly  the  same  size,  but  not  so  deep ;  also,  close 
to  the  keel,  a  third  place  has  the  most  awful  appearance ;  it 
is  under  the  bread-room,  and  in  the  forepart  of  the  dead 
wood.  The  ship  must  have  had  her  keel  upon  a  rock,  and 
have  hung  as  it  were  upon  a  pivot ;  for  it  is  nearly  circular, 
and  of  a  cone-like  shape,  about  sixteen  feet  in  circumference, 
and  hollowed  out  to  the  height  of  about  three  feet  from  the 
outer  surface  of  the  false  keel.  There  was  no  damage  on 
the  starboard  side,  except  a  little  ruffling  of  the  copper. 

The  Pique  is  a  favorite  ship  in  the  British  navy ;  and  in 
her  construction  three  important  improvements  were  intro- 
duced, by  which  her  preservation  is  mainly  to  be  attributed; 
for  had  she  been  of  the  ordinary  build,  she  would  have 
bilged,  and  been  a  total  loss.  It  is  generally  admitted  by 
every  one  who  has  examined  the  bottom  of  this  vessel  since 
she  has  been  in  dock,  that  her  safety  may  be  attributed  to 
her  peculiar  construction.  First,  her  keel  is  constructed  on 
the  principle  of  Mr.  Oliver  Lang,  so  that  if  a  vessel  gets 
aground,  the  false  and  outer  keels  may  be  carried  away,  by 
beating  against  the  rocks,  without  the  danger  of  admitting 
water  into  her :  and  she  may  even  then  undergo  a  further 


grinding  on  the  rocks,  till  the  keel,  with  the  mass  of  timber 
about  it,  is  fairly  broken  away,  which  will  afford  sufficient 
time  to  save  her  from  destruction,  if  it  be  possible. 

How  completely  has  this  been  verified  in  the  case  of  the 
Pique  !  Both  of  these  keels,  fore  and  aft  of  the  vessel,  have 
been  ground  away,  besides  a  considerable  mass  of  the  timber 
about  them  ;  and  the  vessel  has  been  happily  saved  from  de- 
struction, and  brought  her  crew  home  in  this  condition  ;  be- 
sides, also,  without  a  rudder.  Secondly,  the  rising  floors, 
adopted  by  Captain  Symonds,  were  admirably  calculated  to 
assist  in  getting  her  off,  after  suffering  in  a  manner  in  her 
keels  —  for  above  them,  from  a  moderate  distance,  all  was 
untouched  —  that  would  have  been  fatal  to  a  vessel  of  an- 
other construction.  Another  advantage  she  had,  and  which 
contributed  much  to  keep  the  water  out  of  her,  was  her 
having  the  solid  bottom,  adopted  by  Sir  Thomas  Seppings. 
Every  one  allows,  who  has  seen  the  Pique,  that  it  is  next 
to  a  miracle  that  the  vessel  reached  Portsmouth ;  and  had 
not  the  above  three  advantages  been  united  in  her  construc- 
tion, and  provided  with  excellent  officers  and  an  effective 
crew,  there  can  be  httle  doubt  that  she  would  have  done  so. 
We  shall  conclude  this  article  with  the  letter  of  Captain 
Rous  to  the  admiralty,  and  the  flattering  answer  thereto. 


A  Letter  from  Captain  Rous  to  Charles  Wood,  Esq.,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Admiralty. 

«H.  M.  Ship  Pique,  ISth  October,  1835. 

"  Sir  :  — I  beg  you  will  acquaint  my  lords  commissioners 
of  the  admiralty  that  I  left  Quebec  on  the  17th  September, 
with  Lord  and  Lady  Aylmer,  and  suite,  on  board.  On  the 
21st,  off  Anticosti,  wind  southerly,  I  bore  up  for  the  Belle 
Isle  Passage ;  and  being  close  in  with  St.  John's  Head,  New- 
foundland, at  6  h.  30  m.,  P.  M.,  on  the  22d,  I  stood  over 
to  the  Labrador  side,  to  avoid  the  low  shore  and  islands  on 
the  opposite  coast.  At  10  h.,  P.M.,  the  weather  getting 
foggy,  wind  moderate  at  west,  shortened  sail,  and  steered 
a  channel  course,  E.  by  N.  At  10,  P.  M.,  whilst  the  officer 
of  the  watch  was  in  the  act  of  reefing  topsails,  the  master 
and  myself  looking  out,  breakers  were  reporteH  under  the 


I 


232  THE    PERILS    OF    THE    FRIGATE    PIQUE.  "^ 

bows ;  put  the  helm  hard  a-port ;  the  ship  immediately  struck 
and  hung ;  clewed  up  every  thing,  and  the  ship  swung  with 
her  head  to  the  northward ;  made  sail  again,  and  hove  all 
aback ;  she  sailed  off,  but  the  tide  catching  her  wedged  her 
in  between  two  rocks.  Furled  the  sails  and  sent  the  master 
to  sound  ;  down  royal  and  topgallant-yards  and  masts,  the 
ship  striking  heavily. 

"  The  master  reported  four  and  a  half  and  five  fathoms 
round  the  ship,  excepting  a  rock,  with  three  fathoms  under 
the  larboard  main-chains,  and  seventeen  feet  abreast  the 
starboard  chess-tree,  deep  water  outside.  The  weather 
being  thick  and  rainy,  we  could  only  discover  a  low,  rocky 
ledge,  extending  about  fifty  fathoms,  E.  i  S.,  parallel  to  the 
ship,  distant  about  sixty  yards ;  out  all  boats ;  laid  out  the 
stream  E.  S.  E.,  and  hove  a  heavy  strain.  The  ebb  tide 
made  about  eleven  o'clock ;  employed  in  starting  the  water, 
heaving  shot  and  guns  overboard,  and  pumping  ship.  At 
2,  A.  M.,  wind  freshened  from  W.  S.  W. ;  boats  were 
obliged  to  lie  under  her  larboard  fore-chains  for  shelter; 
frigate  striking  very  heavily,  and  the  masts  threatening  to 
fall  at  every  blow. 

'^  On  the  flood  tide  making,  laid  out  a  kedge  S.  E.  by  S., 
and  warped  out  the  launch,  carrying  the  bower  anchor,  with 
the  cutters  and  jolly-boat  buoying  up  a  one  hundred  fathom 
cable ;  hove  a  taught  strain.  At  7  h.  30  m.  wind  shifted  to 
W.  N.  W.,  a  point  off  the  land ;  set  the  foresail,  bracing 
forward  the  head-yards;  8  h.,  piped  to  breakfast;  8  h.,  the 
ship  forged  ahead  a  few  feet ;  set  the  fore-topsail,  and 
heaving  alternately  heavy  strains,  and  the  ship's  company 
running  forward  on  the  bowsprit.  At  9  h.,  she  wormed 
herself  out  from  her  bed  of  rocks ;  and  ran  into  Wolfs 
Bay,  and  anchored,  the  frigate  making  thirteen  inches 
water  per  hour.  This  misfortune  was  owing  to  the  flood 
tide  setting  us  to  the  N.  W.,  as  we  stood  over  to  the  N.  E., 
from  the  coast  of  Newfoundland.  The  following  morning 
we  were  under  all  sail  for  England.  The  leak  increased 
gradually  until  the  26th  September,  viz.,  to  twenty-three 
inches  per  hour.  On  the  27th,  lost  our  rudder,  in  lat.  50° 
10',  long.  40°  6\  September  28th,  shipped  a  temporary 
rudder,  which  w^as  carried  away  by  a  heavy  sea.  The  next 
day,  September  30,  not  being  able  to  wear  ship,  in  a  heavy 


THE    APPROBATION    OF    THE    ADMIRALTY.  233 

gale  from  the  northward,  we  were  obliged  to  heave  to,  with 
our  head  to  the  W.  Ship  laboring  very  much,  and  the  fore- 
mast working  in  the  step,  got  topgallantmasts  on  deck ;  cut 
away  best  bower  anchor,  and  cleared  out  every  thing  from 
the  forepart  of  the  ship.  On  the  1st  of  October  fell  in  with 
the  French  brig  Suffren,  of  St.  Maloes,  who  offered  us  every 
assistance  in  her  power;  sent  by  her  the  particulars  of  our 
situation.  October  4th,  the  carpenter  successfully  stopped 
up  a  leak  in  her  fore-foot,  and  mended  one  of  the  chain- 
pumps,  which  had  worn  through.  On  the  6th,  rigged  a 
Pakenham  rudder,  being  the  first  fine  day  we  had  experi- 
enced ;  a  heavy  sea  carried  away  this  rudder  on  the  10th, 
and  we  again  broached  to,  in  a  heavy  N.  W.  gale,  with  our 
head  to  the  S.  W.  On  the  11th  it  moderated  ;  wore  round. 
At  8,  P.  M.,  on  the  12th,  was  obliged  to  anchor  in  forty-one 
fathoms  to  the  westward  of  the  Caskets,  not  being  able  to 
weather  them,  with  a  northerly  wind  ;  and  at  2,  P.  M., 
yesterday,  got  under  way,  and  anchored  at  St.  Helens  at 
4,  A.  M.,  this  day  ;  having  run  fifteen  hundred  miles,  with- 
out any  rudder,  and  the  ship  requiring  to  be  pumped  every 
hour.  I  have  great  pleasure  in  recommending  to  their  lord- 
ships' notice  the  gallant  and  steady  conduct  of  every  officer, 
seaman,  and  marine,  under  all  these  trying  circumstances  ; 
it  is  not  in  my  power  to  do  justice  to  their  merits ;  and  I  am 
happy  to  add  that  no  loss  of  life,  or  serious  injury,  has  be- 
fallen any  one. 

"  I  have,  &c., 

"H.J.ROUS,  Capiain, 
"  To  Charles  Wood,  Esq,,  &c." 


Letter  from  Admiral  Sir   Thomas    Williams  to  the  Han, 
Captain  Rous, 

"Britannia,  Portsmouth  Harbor,  Sd  JVovember,  1835. 

"  Sir  :  —  On  the  paying  oflf  of  the  Pique,  the  lords  com- 
missioners of  the  admiralty  are  desirous  of  expressing  their 
approbation  of  the  conduct  of  yourself,  and  the  officers  and 
crew  under  your  command,  in  extricating  the  Pique  from 
the  perilous  situation  she  was  in,  when  on  shore  on  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  and  on  her  subsequent  voyage  home, 
20* 


234 


THE    PERILS    OF    TPIE    FRIGATE    PIQUE. 


under  circumstances  of  great  difficulty;  and  such  as  required 
skill  and  exertions  of  no  ordinary  kind ;  and  you  will  there- 
fore receive  and  communicate  their  lordships'  sentiments  to 
the  officers  and  crew  of  his  majesty's  ship  Pique,  under  your, 
command,  accordingly. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  humble  servant, 

"  THOMAS  WILLIAMS,  Admiral 

^'Caj)tain  the  Hon.  Henry  John  Rous, 
"  H.  M,  Ship  Pique:' 


AFFECTING    ACCIDENT. 

A    CHILD    OVERBOARD. 

1836. 

IN  the  year  1836,  during  one  of  the  passages  of  his 
majesty's  steamer  Firefly  to  Malta,  there  were  on  board 
Captain  Graham,  of  the  army,  his  lady,  and  three  children, 
proceeding  to  Malta  to  join  his  regiment.  One  fine  day 
the  nurse  took  the  youngest  child  on  deck,  and  seated  her- 
self against  the  gangway.  While  in  this  position,  the  vessel 
suddenly  lurched,  and  the  nurse,  with  the  innocent  charge, 
was  in  a  moment  struggling  in  the  waves.  Their  shrieks 
were  heard  by  the  watch,  who  instantly  sprang  to  the  life- 
buoy ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  cordage  was  so  entangled  that 
they  could  not  cast  it  into  the  sea.  The  man  at  the  wheel 
ordered  the  vessel  to  be  stopped,  and  loudly  shouted,  "  Pas- 
sengers overboard  !  "  In  a  moment  all  were  on  deck  ;  and 
among  them  were  the  parents  of  the  drowning  infant.  A 
wild  shriek  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  agonized  mother ;  a 
convulsive  tremor  overpowered  her  feelings,  and  she  was 
taken  below.  The  father  gazed  mournfully  on  his  tender 
offspring,  grasped  in  the  arms  of  its  nurse,  but  could  do 
nothing  of  avail  for  its  recovery.  At  length  a  boat  was 
launched,  and  away  the  crew  went  to  rescue  them ;  by  this 
time  they  were  about  half  a  mile  from  the  steamer.  The 
nurse's  clothes  had  buoyed  her  up,  and,  though  nearly 
insensible,  she  still  grasped  the  child ;  but  just  as  they  had 
come  within  haif,  the  poor  woman's  senses  had  entirely 
forsaken  her,  and  she  loosened  her  hold  of  the  child,  who 
now  floated  away  a  long  distance  apart.  The  boat's  crew 
by  this  time  came  up  with  the  floating  body  of  the  nurse, 
whose  perception  returned ;  and  her  first  exclamation  was, 
*'  For  God's  sake,  save  the  child  ;  don't  mind  me."  Both 
nurse  and  child  were  mercifully  rescued;  and  when  they 
were  again  safe,  the  whole  on  board  gave  three  hearty 
cheers  of  grateful  thanks  for  their  almost  miraculous  pres- 
ervation. Medical  aid  was  promptly  administered,  and  the 
delighted  parents  seemed  once  more  to  be  happy.  But, 
alas !  the  following  day  their  child  died,  and  the  body  was 
committed  to  its  ocean  grave. 


THE    STRANDING 


BARQUE     MEXICO, 

ON  HEMPSTEAD  BEACH, 
SOUTH    SHORE    OF    LONG    ISLAND  ; 

By  which  Catastrophe   One  Hundred   and   Sixteen 
Lives  were  lost;  Jannary,  1837. 


1 

Y  this  terrible  calamity  a  greater  number 
of  lives  were  lost  than  by  any  previous 
shipwreck  on  the  coast  of  the  United 
States ;  and  it  was  the  more  lamen- 
table from  having  been  brought  about 
mainly  by  two  causes.  The  first  was, 
the  unfortunate  vessel  left  Liverpool 
without  provisions  sufficient  to  meet 
the  exigency  of  a  long  passage ;  and,  having  had  one, 
when  she  reached  the  American  coast,  her  unfortunate 
company  were  in  a  state  of  starvation. 

After  arriving  on  the  pilot  ground,  without  being  able  to 
obtain  one,  in  a  leaky  vessel,  and  the  crew  worn  down  with 
hunger  and  fatigue,  the  captain  was  obliged  to  remain  nearer 
the  coast  than  he  would  have  done  under  more  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, for  fear  of  being  blown  off. 

The  second  cause  was,  the  defective  arrangement  of  the 
New  York  pilot  system  at  that  time ;  for,  had  the  pilots 
been  at  their  stations,  this  misfortune  would  not  have 
happened. 

The  barque  Mexico,  Captain  Winslow,  sailed  from  Liver- 
pool, for  New  York,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1836.  Her 
company  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  four  passengers,  be- 
sides thirty-three  children,  and  a  crew  of  twelve  men ;  in 
all,  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  souls.     After  a  long  and 


A    FATAL    MISTAKE.  •  S37 

tedious  passage,  during  which  the  passengers  suffered  ter- 
ribly from  hunger,  the  ship,  on  Saturday  the  31st  De- 
cember, at  11,  A.  M.,  made  the  Woodland,  on  the  Jersey 
shore  ;  ran  down  and  hove  to,  on  seeing  the  Hght  on  the 
Highlands.  On  Sunday,  at  6,  A.  M.,  bore  up  to  Sandy 
Hook,  and  at  7  was  near  the  bar ;  previous  to  which,  had 
a  signal  flying  for  a  pilot,  and  then  hoisted  a  signal  of 
distress,  as,  from  the  length  of  the  passage,  the  passengers 
had  been  out  of  provisions,  and  had,  for  eleven  days, 
been  served  with  a  biscuit  each  from  the  ship's  stores. 
Saw  a  steamer,  which  had  towed  a  vessel  out,  taking 
another  and  towing  her  in  ;  and  although  the  steamer  must 
have  seen  the  signal  of  distress,  yet  neither  steamer  nor 
pilot  came  to  their  relief;  a  number  of  vessels  also  came 
within  view,  with  signals  flying  for  pilots.  With  a  degree 
of  anxiety  not  to  be  expressed,  as  no  pilots  appeared,  Cap- 
tain Winslow  had  to  stand  off*,  under  the  most  distressing 
circumstances,  from  the  snow-storm  of  Sunday  night,  and 
the  cold  of  Monday ;  yet  on  Monday  he  got  within  view  of 
the  Hook,  with  signals  of  distress,  and  for  a  pilot,  still  fly- 
ing; fired  several  guns,  but  no  pilot.  Stood  off,  but  fearing 
to  be  blown  off,  short  of  provisions  as  they  were,  kept  the 
lead  going,  and  as  near  shore  as  possible.  Worn  down 
with  fatigue.  Captain  Winslow  went  below,  and  after  some 
time  asked  the  mate  what  soundings ;  who  answered,  fifteen 
fathoms,  which  depth  gave  fifteen  miles  off  the  land,  and 
that  would  be  ample  for  safety ;  but  this  was  an  awful  mis- 
take, as  the  course  was  continued,  and  at  5,  A.  M.,  on 
Tuesday  morning,  the  vessel  struck  the  Hempstead  Beach. 
On  Monday  night  and  Tuesday  morning,  the  thermometer 
stood  at  four  degrees  above  zero;  the  wind  was  along  shore, 
a  high  sea  and  surf  running.  Shortly  after,  the  rudder 
went,  the  main  and  mizzenmasts  were  cut  away,  the  water 
began  to  rise  in  the  hold,  the  spray  was  flying  over,  and 
wherever  it  touched  became  ice.  The  passengers,  finding 
the  water  gaining  in  the  hold,  and  seeing  no  hope  of  saving 
their  baggage,  seized  on  what  was  most  valuable;  those  who 
had  money  fastened  it  round  their  bodies.  There  were 
found  in  a  small  silk  handkerchief  two  prayer-books,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  only  valuables  their  owners  regarded 
under  their  awfully  appalling  circumstances.     They  were 


238  THE    STRANDING    OF    THE    MEXICO. 

Roman  Catholic  prayer-books,  one  belonging  to  a  man,  the 
of  her  to  a  woman. 

The  situation  of  the  ship  soon  attracted  numbers  to  the 
beach.  Miserable  as  their  situation  was,  from  cold,  hunger, 
and  exhaustion,  all  were  alive;  each  clung  near  to  those 
who  were  most  dear ;  the  wife  and  husband,  with  their 
children,  in  each  other's  embrace;  brothers  and  sisters;  and 
so  they  were  found  on  the  beach.  But  what  language  can 
paint  the  horror  of  the  scene?  As  the  day  wore  away,  the 
captain  launched  the  long-boat,  making  fast  a  hawser  to  it ; 
hope  revived  ;  by  the  pitching  of  the  vessel,  from  the  haw- 
ser being  too  taught,  it  broke,  and  the  long-boat,  which  was 
to  have  borne  them  to  the  shore,  gained  the  beach  in  perfect 
safety,  but  never  returned. 

It  would  be  an  act  of  great  injustice  not  to  state  that  the 
people  on  the  beach  manifested  the  greatest  solicitude  to 
relieve  the  wretched  objects  of  their  compassion,  who  were 
within  hearing ;  and  at  length  Raynor  Smith,  with  six  vol- 
unteers, who  had  come  to  aid  Mr.  Seaman,  the  wreck- 
master,  though  at  the  peril  of  their  lives,  put  off  through 
the  surf,  and  got  to  the  bowsprit,  in  some  degree  protected 
from  the  sea,  when  three  passengers  and  three  seamen 
dropped  down  by  ropes  into  the  boat,  as  also  the  captain 
and  young  Master  Broom,  all  of  whom  with  difficulty 
reached  the  shore. 

The  British  consul,  who  visited  the  scene,  says,  "I  con- 
fess I  am  utterly  unable  to  proceed  in  the  painful  detail,  of 
which  I  know  of  no  parallel ;  and  the  only  consolation  — 
while  I  am  writing  at  the  beach,  so  near  the  scene,  with 
many  of  the  dead  bodies,  as  it  were,  before  me — is,  that 
their  sufferings  are  ended  ;  but  I  must  proceed.  The  state 
of  the  tide,  the  violence  of  the  surf  and  spray,  the  intense 
cold,  that  turned  to  ice  every  dash  of  the  waves  which 
touched  the  boat  and  oars,  obliged  the  brave  Smith  and  his 
heroic  party  to  abandon  all  hope  of  returning  to  the  vessel; 
and,  O  horrible  alternative  I  they  drew  the  boat  out  of  the 
surf  on  the  beach.  And  who  saw  this  just  as  the  sun  was 
setting  on  that  fatal  day  ?  One  hundred  and  eight  persons 
big  with  hope,  that  they  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  —  some 
that  they  were  to  embrace  their  parents,  a  wife  her 
husband. 


HUMANE  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SPECTATORS. 


239 


The  Wreck  of  the  Mexico  and  Rescue  of  Captain  Winslow. 


"  Gracious  God  !  what  tongue  can  speak  the  misery,  the 
despair,  the  suffering,  of  one  hundred  and  eight  of  our 
fellow-beings,  twelve  hours  in  the  suspense  described  ?  and 
now,  the  sun  declining,  the  people  mournfully  withdrawing 
from  their  cries,  the  spray  and  the  frost  fast  binding  them 
to  each  other ;  all  hope,  all  prospect  of  relief  extinct. 
Some  of  the  humane  people,  who  lingered  on  the  shore, 
say  that  the  cries  and  supplications  were  distinctly  he&rd  ; 
but  they  gradually  died  away,  and  at  11,  P.  M.,  not  a  voice 
was  heard." 

As  fast  as  the  remorseless  ocean  threw  up  the  frozen 
corpses  on  the  strand,  they  were  snatched  from  the  surf  by 
the  humane  spectators,  who,  after  freeing  them  from  the 
ice  and  tangled  sea-weed  with  which  they  were  enveloped, 
carried  them  to  a  place  of  shelter ;  where  the  British  con- 
sul, the  sheriff,  and  coroner  of  the  county,  were  in  waiting 
to  make  arrangements  for  their  burial. 

A  gentleman  who  visited  the  building  in  which  they  were 
placed,  gives  the  following  affecting  details :  — 

''On  reaching  Hempstead,  I  concluded  to  go  somewhat 
off  the  road,  to  look  at  the  place  where  the  Mexico  was  cast 


240  THE    STRANDING    OF    THE    MEXICO. 

away.  In  half  an  hour  we  came  to  Lott's  tavern,  —  some 
four  or  five  miles  this  side  of  the  beach  where  the  ship 
lay, — and  here,  in  his  barn,  had  been  deposited  the  bodies 
of  the  ill-fated  passengers  which  had  been  thrown  upon  the 
shore.  I  went  out  to  the  barn.  The  doors  were  open  ;  and 
such  a  scene  as  here  presented  itself  to  my  view,  I  certainly 
never  could  have  contemplated.  It  was  a  dreadful,  a  fright- 
ful scene  of  horror. 

"  Forty  or  fifty  bodies,  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  were  lying 
promiscuously  before  me  over  the  floor,  all  frozen,  and  as 
solid  as  marble;  and  all,  except  a  few,  in  the  very  dresses 
in  which  they  perished ;  some  with  their  hands  cUnched,  as 
if  for  warmth ;  and  almost  every  one  with  an  arm  crooked 
and  bent,  as  it  would  be  in  clinging  to  the  rigging. 

"  There  were  scattered  about,  among  the  number,  four 
or  five  beautiful  little  girls,  from  six  to  sixteen  years  of 
age,  their  cheeks  and  lips  as  red  as  roses,  with  their  calm 
blue  eyes  open,  looking  you  in  the  face,  as  if  they  would 
speak. 

"  I  could  hardly  realize  that  they  were  dead.  I  touched 
their  cheeks,  and  they  were  frozen  as  hard  and  as  solid  as  a 
rock ;  and  not  the  least  indentation  could  be  made  by  any 
pressure  of  the  hand.  I  could  perceive  a  resemblance  to 
each  other,  and  supposed  them  to  be  the  daughters  of  a 
Mr.  Pepper,  who  perished,  together  with  his  wife  and  whole 
family. 

"  On  the  arms  of  some  were  to  be  seen  the  impression 
of  the  rope  which  they  clung  to,  —  the  mark  of  the  twist 
deeply  sunk  in  the  flesh.  I  saw  one  poor  negro  sailor,  a 
tall  man,  with  his  head  thrown  back,  his  hps  parted,  and  his 
now  sightless  eyeballs  turned  upward,  and  his  arms  crossed 
over  his  breast,  as  if  imploring  Heaven  for  aid.  This  poor 
fellow  evidently  had  frozen,  while  in  the  act  of  fervent 
prayer. 

"  One  female  had  a  rope  tied  to  her  leg,  which  had  bound 
her  to  the  rigging ;  and  a  little  boy  had  been  crying,  and 
the  muscles  of  the  face  were  fixed  as  we  see  in  children 
when  crying.  There  were  a  brother  and  sister  dashed  upon 
the  beach,  locked  in  each  other's  arms ;  but  they  had  been 
separated  in  the  barn.  All  the  men  had  their  lips  firmly 
compressed  together,  and  with  the  most  agonizing  expression 
on  their  countenances  I  ever  beheld. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    FROZEN    BODIES.  241 

"A  little  girl  had  raised  herself  on  tiptoe,  and  thus  was 
frozen  just  in  that  position.  It  was  an  awful  sight;  and 
such  a  picture  of  horror  was  before  me  that  I  became  un- 
consciously fixed  to  the  spot,  and  found  myself  trying  to 
suppress  my  ordinary  breathing,  lest  I  should  disturb  the 
repose  of  those  around  me.  I  was  aroused  from  my  reverie 
by  the  entrance  of  a  man,  the  coroner. 

'•'As  I  was  about  to  leave,  my  attention  became  directed 
to  a  girl  who,  I  afterwards  learned,  had  come  that  morning 
from  the  city  to  search  for  her  sister.  She  had  sent  for  her 
to  come  over  from  England,  and  had  received  intelligence 
that  she  was  in  this  ship.  She  came  into  the  barn,  and  the 
second  body  she  cast  her  eyes  upon  was  hers.  She  gave 
way  to  such  a  burst  of  impassioned  grief  and  anguish,  that 
I  could  not  behold  her  without  sharing  her  feelings.  She 
threw  herself  upon  the  cold  and  icy  face  and  neck  of  the 
lifeless  body,  and  thus,  with  her  arms  around  her,  remained 
waiUng,  moaning,  and  sobbing,  till  I  came  away ;  and  when 
some  distance  off,  I  could  hear  her  calhng  her  by  name,  in  the 
most  frantic  manner. 

"  So  little  time,  it  appears,  had  they  to  prepare  for  their 
fate,  that  I  perceived  a  bunch  of  keys,  and  a  half-eaten 
cake,  fall  from  the  bosom  of  a  girl  whom  the  coroner  was 
removing.  The  cake  appeared  as  if  part  of  it  had  just  been 
bitten,  and  hastily  thrust  into  her  bosom;  and  round  her  neck 
was  a  ribbon  with  a  pair  of  scissors  suspended. 

"And  to  observe  the  stout,  rugged  sailors,  too,  w^iose  iron 
frames  could  endure  such  hardships!  here  they  lay,  —  masses 
of  ice.  Such  scenes  show  us,  indeed,  how  powerless  and 
feeble  are  all  human  efforts,  when  contending  against  the 
storms  and  tempests  which  sweep  with  resistless  violence 
over  the  face  of  the  deep.  And  yet  the  vessel  was  so  near 
the  shore,  that  the  shrieks  and  moans  of  the  poor  creatures 
were  heard  through  that  bitter  night,  till,  towards  the  morn- 
ing, the  last  groan  died  away,  and  all  was  hushed  in  death  ; 
and  the  murmur  of  the  raging  billows  was  all  the  sound  that 
then  met  the  ear." 

After  the  storm  the  wreck  was  approached;  and  here  and 
there  were  seen  columns,  pillars  of  ice,  which  had  formed 
on  the  frozen  bodies,  as  the  sea  broke  over  them. 

The  humane  inhabitants  of  Hempstead  and  its  vicinity, 
21 


242  THE    STRANDING    OF    THE    MEXICO. 

being  actuated  by  the  purest  sentiments  of  philanthropy,  held 
a  public  meeting  on  Friday,  the  6th  of  January,  at  which  the 
following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  adopted :  — 

*'The  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Hempstead,  feeHng 
themselves  called  upon  by  the  recent  awful  and  distressing 
shipwreck,  and  unprecedented  loss  of  life  on  the  melancholy 
occasion,  held  a  large  and  respectable  meeting  on  Friday 
evening,  when  it  was  unanimously 

"  Resolved,  That  since  it  has  pleased  the  Great  Disposer 
of  events  to  cast  upon  our  shore  the  bodies  of  many  friend- 
less fellow-creatures,  suddenly  deprived  of  life  by  a  most 
disastrous  shipwreck,  we  deem  it  a  solemn  duty,  devolving 
upon  us,  to  cause  them  to  be  decently  and  properly  interred  ; 
—  that  a  committee  of  twelve  be  appointed  to  collect  contri- 
butions for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  a  piece  of  ground,  to 
be  forever  reserved  solely  for  the  interment  of  bodies  which 
shall  hereafter  be  cast  upon  our  beach ;  and,  also,  for  the 
further  purpose  of  erecting  a  suitable  monument  over  the 
bodies  now  to  be  interred. 

"  Whereupon  the  following  gentlemen  were  named  as 
the  committee :  — 

*'  John  Bedell,  Richard  Carman,  Nathaniel  Seaman,  Jacob 
Coles,  Stephen  C.  Shedeker,  Piatt  Willets,  Peter  T.  Hewlett, 
Oliver  Denton,  John  W.  De  Mott,  Daniel  Mot,  John  I.  Lott, 
and  Raynor  R.  Smith. 

"  The  committee,  having  succeeded  in  obtaining  ample 
funds,  have  purchased  a  lot  of  ground  adjacent  to  the  burial- 
ground  of  the  Methodist  church,  near  Rockaway,  and  to 
be  attached  to  the  same,  under  the  restrictions  of  the  reso- 
lutions ;  and  every  arrangement  has  been  made  for  the  inter- 
ment of  the  bodies  in  a  respectable  manner,  and  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies. 

"  The  interment  will  take  place  on  Wednesday  next,  the 
11th  instant,  at  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  if  fair  weather,  —  if 
not,  on  the  next  fair  day  thereafter,  at  the  same  hour,  — 
from  the  house  of  John  I.  Lott. 

"  The  ladies  of  the  village  of  Hempstead,  actuated  by 
the  pure  spirit  of  benevolence  and  sympathizing  tenderness 
which  ever  mark  the  female  character,  in  a  short  time  raised 
sufficient  funds  to  purchase  burial  garments  for  the  females 


THE  FUNERAL  OF  THE  SUFFERERS.         243 

and  children  among  the  dead.  Not  satisfied  with  simply 
providing  the  materials,  in  a  space  of  time  almost  incredible, 
they  have  completed  them  ;  and  several  ladies,  with  an  en- 
ergy and  zeal  worthy  the  sex,  proceeded  to  the  house  of 
Major  Lott,  and  with  their  own  hands  enshrouded  in  the 
habiliments  of  the  grave  the  bodies  there  collected. 

^'  The  clergymen  of  three  different  churches  having  con- 
sented to  unite  on  this  peculiarly  solemn  and  interesting 
occasion,  it  is  expected  that  the  ceremonies  will  be  awfully 
impressive ;    and    the    public  generally   are    invited    to    be 

^^^^  "  *  *'  By  order  of  the  committee. 

"JOHN  BEDELL,  Chamnan, 

"Hempst.:ad,  January  7thi  1337." 

Accordingly,  as  many  of  the  bodies  as  had  been  rescued 
from  the  ocean,  and  not  claimed  by  friends,  were  interred  at 
Hempstead,  near  Rockaway,  on  Wednesday,  11th  January. 
A  piece  of  ground,  adjoining  the  Methodist  burying-place, 
had  been  purchased  by  contribution,  and  prepared  for  the 
purpose.  The  whole  number  of  corpses  taken  from  the 
water  was  forty-nine.  Of  these,  Patrick  Murray,  Rosa 
Hughes,  Samuel  Blackburn,  Catharine  Galligan,  James 
Lawrence,  and  William  Evans,  had  been  recognized  by 
their  relatives  or  friends,  and  taken  away  for  their  inter- 
ment. Of  the  remaining  forty-three,  the  bodies  of  the 
following  individuals  were  known,  viz.,  William  Pepper  and 
wife,  Martha  Mooney,  Andrew  M'Donald,  and  a  person 
supposed  from  his  dress  to  be  the  mate,  and  another  the 
steward.  The  bodies,  having  been  decently  inwrapped  in 
shrouds,  and  laid  in  separate  coffins,  were,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  colored  bodies,  interred  in  one  capacious 
grave,  the  coffins  being  placed  side  by  side  in  a  continued 
row.  They  were  —  men,  twenty;  women,  ten;  boys,  seven; 
girls,  three  ;  total,  forty. 

The  colored  bodies  were  committed  to  the  care  of  the 
colored  people  of  the  neighborhood,  and  interred  at  the 
same  time,  and  within  the  same  enclosure. 

A  great  concourse  of  people  assembled  at  the  house  of 
Major  John  L  Lott,  in  Hempstead,  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
from  thence  moved  in  procession  to  the  Methodist  church, 


244  THE    STRANDING    OF    THE    MEXICO. 

a  distance  of  three  miles.  The  coffins  were  placed  in  sep- 
arate wagons,  and  the  procession  moved  in  the  following 
order :  — 

The  Clergy. 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

The  Corpses. 

f  Women,  1 

J  Men,  [ 

1  Children,  f 

[  Colored.  J 

Pall-Bearers. 
Friends  and  Relatives. 

Citizens,  in  more  than  three  hundred  carriages  of 
various  descriptions. 

On  arriving  at  the  church,  a  funeral  sermon  was  de- 
livered by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carmichael,  and  prayers  offered 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Crane.  Rev.  Dr.  Shoemaker,  of  Jamaica, 
Rev.  Mr.  Law,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Floy,  of  Hempstead,  were 
also  present.  The  whole  scene  was  one  of  great  solemnity 
and  interest.  The  citizens  in  the  places  adjacent  to  the 
wreck,  have  exhibited  a  very  lively  interest  in  the  sufferers 
by  this  shocking  calamity,  and,  by  their  Christian  sympathy, 
did  all  which  respect  for  the  deceased,  or  a  desire  to  allevi- 
ate the  sorrows  of  their  friends,  could  suggest.  The  ladies 
exerted  themselves  most  benevolently,  providing  shrouds  for 
all,  and  taking  the  bodies  of  the  females  entirely  under  their 
own  charge.  The  thanks  of  the  public,  as  well  as  the  friends 
of  the  sufferers,  are  due  them.  Provisions  were  made  for 
any  other  bodies  which  might  be  recovered,  and  they  would 
be  interred  in  the  same  place. 

About  three  hundred  dollars  belonging  to  the  unfortunate 
passengers,  and  which  were  never  claimed  by  their  relatives, 
were,  in  the  year  1840,  appropriated  by  the  legislature  of 
New  York  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  over  theii 
remains. 

The  Mexico  was  a  substantial  eastern  built  vessel,  of  280 
tons,  and  eleven  years  old,  and  owned  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Broome,  of  New  York,  whose  brother,  a  lad,  was  saved. 

The  seven  men  who  courageously  went  off  to  the  barque, 
after  dragging  their  boat  ten  miles,  and  to  whose  efforts  the 


AN    AFFECTING    LETTER.  245 

eight  who  were  saved  owe  their  lives,  received  from  him  a 
gratuity  of  fifty  dollars  each.  The  people  in  the  neighbor- 
hood did  their  utmost;  they  cut  wood,  brought  it  together, 
built  a  fire,  so  that,  if  any  of  the  sufferers  should  by  any 
possibility  get  on  shore,  every  thing  might  be  ready  for 
their  relief. 

The  unfortunate  passengers  were  of  a  very  superior  class, 
and  had  considerable  property  with  them ;  on  the  bodies 
which  drifted  ashore,  gold  to  some  amount  was  found. 
They  had  been  on  an  allowance  of  one  biscuit  a  day  for 
sixteen  or  seventeen  days,  and  were  dreadfully  distressed  on 
account  of  the  very  severe  weather  they  had  encountered, 
during  a  long  and  tedious  passage  of  more  than  ten  weeks. 
The  following  letter  was  found  among  the  papers  recovered 
from  the  wreck  :  — 

"  To  Captain  Winslow. 

"  20th  December,  1836. 
''Sir:  —  We,  the  undersigned,  passengers  in  the  barque 
Mexico,  under  your  command,  being  reduced  to  a  very  de- 
plorable state,  for  want  of  provisions,  and  unable  any  longer 
to  bear  the  privation,  take  this  means  of  proposing  the  only 
plan  that  can  be  adopted  to  preserve  the  lives  of  ourselves, 
our  wives  and  children.  We  are  fully  aware  of  some  pro- 
visions being  on  board,  such  as  biscuits  and  herrings. 

"  We  propose  to  purchase  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the 
same,  and  to  give  you  a  deposit  equal  to  their  current  price 
at  New  York  ;  and  this  will  secure  you  in  the  value  of  such 
part  of  your  cargo  as  we  may  consume. 

''  We  respectfully  submit  this  for  your  consideration,  and 
request  a  reply  in  t!ie  course  of  the  day." 
Signed  by 

WILLIAM  ROBERTSON 
and  forty  others. 

Captain  Winslow  did  not  deign  to  return  a  written  reply 
to  this  epistle,  but  merely  inquired  of  the  messenger,  who 
came  for  an  answer,  "  Do  you  want  to  take  command  of 
the  ship?"  Notwithstanding  this  seeming  harshness  of  the 
captain,  it  appears  that  they  were  subsequently  fed  from  the 
ship's  stores. 

21  * 


246 


THE    STRANDING    OF    THE    MEXICO. 


In  no  part  of  the  state  of  New  York  are  the  people  more 
moral,  religious,  economical,  or  thrifty,  than  those  of  Hemp- 
stead, L.  I.  Strict  temperance,  unceasing  industry,  and 
close  frugality,  assure  them  independence.  Few  are  very 
rich,  none  abjectly  poor ;  and  if  luxury  and  splendor  be 
rarely  seen,  want  is  a  greater  stranger.  The  neat  churches, 
with  their  white  and  graceful  steeples,  evince  a  religious  and 
simple  taste ;  and  the  latter  is  not  less  displayed  in  the  gen- 
erally commodious  and  cleanly  dwellings. 

To  conclude  :  this  fatal  wreck  was  the  cause  of  the  entire 
remodehng  of  the  pilot  system,  by  the  legislature  of  New 
York  ;  so  that  at  all  times  there  should  be  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  pilots  off  the  harbor,  to  meet  any  exigencies.  Their 
other  duties  were  also  defined,  and  commissioners  appointed 
to  oversee  them. 

Laws  were  also  passed,  obliging  the  owners  of  passenger 
ships  to  fully  supply  them  with  provisions,  so  that,  in  the 
event  of  a  lengthened  passage,  starvation  should  not  stare 
them  in  the  face. 


A    GRAPHIC    DESCRIPTION 

OF    THE 

PERILOUS  SITUATION  AND  PROCEEDINGS  ON  BOARD 

OF    THE 

SHIP    CENTAUR    OF    74    GUNS, 

CAPTAIN  HENRY  WHITBY, 


A  Hurricane,  experienced  by  a  Sqnadron  under  the 
Command  of  Commodore  De  Courcy,  in  wliicli  she 
sprung  a-leak  and  was  dismasted,  and  thereby 
prevented  from  joining  Lord  Nelson's  Fleet,  and 
taking  her  Station  in  the  Line  of  Trafalgar ;  July, 
1805, 


«  Now  darker  grew  the  crowded  atmosphere ; 
There  was  no  moon  on  high,  and  not  a  star 
Peeped  through  the  sable  canopy ;  the  blast 
Rang  loud ;  and  now  the  war,  more  terrible, 
Swept  o'er  the  foaming  waves," 


[HE  hurricane  in  which  the  Centaur  suf- 
fered was  considered  the  severest  since 
that  of  1782,  when  the  old  French  ship 
of  the  same  name,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Inglefield,  foundered.*  The  old 
Centaur's  storm  was  experienced  in  lat. 
48^=^  33'  N.  and  long.  42°  20'  W. ;  that 

of  the  new  Centaur  was  in  26^  IT  N.  and  57°  42'  W.,  to 

the  northward  of  Barbadoes. 

*  Captain  Inglefield's  narrative  is  in  the  '■^ first  series"  of  "  Shipwrecks 
and  Disasters  at  Sea/'  by  Charles  Ellms,     See  page  52, 


248  A    SHIP    OF    THE    LINE    IN    A    HURRICANE. 

"It  is  well  known  that  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1805, 
the  French  and  Spanish  fleets  formed  a  junction,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  West  Indies,  more  for  tlie  purpose  of  creating 
a  diversion,  it  is  probable,  than  with  any  serious  design  of 
committing  depredation  on  our  possessions  there.  Admiral 
Lord  Nelson  pursued  them  unsuccessfully;  and  on  the  16th 
of  April,  Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane  arrived  at  Jamaica 
with  six  sail  of  the  line  and  three  frigates.  It  was  a  part 
of  this  squadron,  on  its  return  to  windward,  that  encountered 
the  hurricane. 

"  On  the  19th  of  June,  the  Centaur  quitted  Port  Royal, 
in  company  with  the  St.  George,  Eagle,  Atlas,  (of  the  line,) 
and  Success  and  Blanche  frigates,  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
Lord  Nelson  at  Barbadoes. 

"  We  were  obliged  to  anchor  when  nearly  clear  of  the 
shoals,  in  consequence  of  the  commodore's  ship,  the  St. 
George,  having  struck  upon  a  coral  rock. 

"  The  efforts  to  heave  her  off  proved  unavailing  until  five 
in  the  evening,  when  she  was  extricated,  and  anchored  in 
the  channel.  As  she  made  much  water,  there  was  no  doubt 
of  her  being  damaged,  but  the  worthy  commodore  deter- 
mined to  proceed ;  accordingly,  at  7,  P.  M.,  the  ships 
weighed,  and  stood  out  to  sea. 

*'  On  the  7th  of  July,  we  cleared  the  Mariguana  Passage, 
after  rather  a  tedious  beat.  It  is  proper  to  state  here,  that, 
whilst  on  the  windward  station,  the  Centaur  had  run  on 
shore,  which  occasioned  a  leak,  that  now  became  trouble- 
some. On  the  13th,  we  spoke  an  American  schooner,  and 
obtained  the  information  from  her,  that  the  French  fleet  had 
sailed  from  Martinique,  destination  unknown.  No  account, 
however,  could  be  gained  of  Lord  Nelson's  movements. 

''  On  the  28th,  we  boarded  an  American  Indiaman  from 
Batavia  to  Salem.  This  unfortunate  ship  never  reached  her 
port  of  destination,  and,  no  doubt,  foundered  in  the  dreadful 
storm  which  came  on  shortly  after.  We  spoke  also  several 
brigs  and  schooners,  which  probably  shared  a  similar  fate ; 
as,  from  their  construction,  they  appeared  quite  unequal 
to  contend  with  such  weather.  For  more  than  a  fortnight 
preceding  the  hurricane,  the  wind  had  been  very  light  and 
variable ;  on  the  day  last  mentioned,  it  was  moderate,  from 
E.  N.  E.,  with  a  cloudy  sky ;  in  the  early  part,  without  any 


THE    FORE-YARD    CARRIED    AWAY.  249 

particular  indication  of  blowing  weather  setting  in.  We 
were  unprovided  with  a  barometer,  or,  no  doubt,  we  should 
have  been  forewarned  of  the  approaching  war  of  the  ele- 
ments. At  six  in  the  evening,  however,  the  wind  began  to 
freshen  so  much,  that  the  topsails  were  double-reefed ;  it 
continued  to  blow  during  the  night  with  a  little  increase  of 
strength,  but  we  had  no  apprehension  of  any  thing  more 
than  a  common  gale  occurring.  As  daylight,  on  the  29th, 
approached,  the  clouds  assumed  a  dark  hue  and  heavy  ap- 
pearance, and  continued  to  thicken  and  spread  around  and 
in  the  zenith,  until  not  a  spot  of  the  azure  sky  could  be  dis- 
tinguished ;  squalls  of  wind  soon  followed,  with  heavy,  dri- 
ving rain  and  vivid  flashes  of  lightning,  unaccompanied  with 
thunder,  —  precursors  of  the  awful  tumult  that  awaited  us. 

<  There's  not  a  cloud  in  that  dark  plain 

But  tells  of  storms  to  come,  or  past  — 
Here  flying  loosely  as  the  mane 

Of  a  young  war-horse  in  the  blast ; 
There,  rolled  in  masses  dark  and  swelling, 
As  proud  to  be  the  lightning's  dwelling  I 
While  some,  already  burst  and  riven, 
Seem  melting  down  the  verge  of  hea.ven ; 
As  though  the  infant  Storm  had  rent 

The  mighty  womb  that  gave  him  birth, 
And,  having  swept  the  firmament, 

Was  now  in  fierce  career  for  earth.' 

"  The  topsails  were  now  close-reefed ;  the  courses  were, 
however,  still  kept  set,  but  the  larboard  bumkin  having 
snapped,  the  fore-yard  went  in  the  slings,  and  the  sail  was 
blown  away  from  the  broken  yard ;  the  other  sails  were 
instantly  reduced.  Soon  after  this,  every  thing  was  made 
snug  aloft,  and  the  ship  brought  to  under  a  close-reefed 
main-topsail;  an  endeavor  was  made  to  set  the  fore-staysail, 
but  it  blew  to  ribbons ;  and  shortly  after,  in  a  tremendous 
puflT,  the  main-topsail  shared  the  same  fortune. 

"  It  was  now  that  doubt  gave  place  to  certainty :  the  hur- 
ricane, in  all  its  awfulness,  had  truly  set  in  ;  the  seas,  rising 
in  proportion  as  the  wind  increased,  began  to  lash  their 
white  heads,  and  to  strike  the  ship  with  a  force  that  made 
her  quiver  in  every  plank. 

"Having  arranged  what  was  necessary  upon  deck,  the 
portion  of  the  crew  that  were  not  employed  at  the  pumps 


250  A    SHIP    OF    THE    I.INE    IN    A    HURRICANE. 

were  sent  down  to  secure  the  guns,  those  fearful  append- 
ages to  the  sides  of  a  ship  during  storms ;  and  the  hatches 
were  battened  down. 

"As  long  as  the  masts  maintained  their  positions^we  ex- 
pected that  our  gigantic  vessel,  though  tossed  about  in  a 
very  rough  manner,  would  be  the  better  enabled  to  struggle 
with  the  elements,  and  acquit  herself  well ;  but  our  hopes 
and  wishes  on  this  head  were  short-lived.  An  hour  before 
noon,  the  wind  increased  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  main- 
topmast  was  literally  blown  away,  as  if  it  had  been  a  mere 
straw  or  a  feather ;  and  shortly  after,  the  fore-topmast  fol- 
lowed, close  to  the  cap.  At  this  time,  the  wind  was  raging 
with  the  most  appalling  force,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
clouds,  and  the  lofty  breaking  seas,  such  as  no  language  is 
adequate  to  describe. 

'  The  sea, 
Now  fiercer  grown,  raved  with  tremendous  wrath; 
And  every  blast  that  shook  the  elements 
Seemed  like  the  blast  portentous  of  m.an's  doom.' 

"  There  was  a  compactness  in  the  dense  clouds,  which 
were  of  a  murky,  cinereous  color,  approaching  to  black,  en- 
veloping the  whole  heavens,  that  effectually  shut  out  every 
ray  of  light,  and  gave  to  the  picture  that  peculiar  wildness 
of  feature,  which  may  be  described  as  one  of  the  character- 
istic touches  of  a  hurricane.  And,  although  the  wind  gen- 
erally drove  forcibly  onwards  in  an  oblique  direction,  yet,  at 
times,  when  at  its  highest  degree  of  vehemence,  it  seemed 
to  gyrate  or  repercuss  upon  itself  with  a  sound  resembling 
the  smacking  of  a  thousand  cart  whips.  This  singular  prop- 
erty of  the  aerial  current  I  noticed  whilst  sitting  down 
(when  not  descending  to  or  ascending  from  the  lower  deck) 
silently,  under  shelter  before  the  captain's  cabin,  contem- 
plating the  awful  and  impressive  scene.  At  such  times, 
none  of  the  few  persons  on  deck  were  allowed  to  move 
from  under  cover  of  the  weather  bulwark ;  there  they  sat, 
mute  spectators  of  the  havock  which  the  warring  elements 
were  making  upon  the  noble  vessel,  and  silent  listeners  of 
the  cheers  which  now  and  then  issued  from  their  gallant 
shipmates  at  the  pumps. 

"  The  ship  rolled  and  labored  in  a  manner  dreadful  to 


THE    BEST    BOWER-ANCHOR    IS    CUT    AWAY.  251 

behold,  and  her  weather  lurches  were  often  so  violent  and 
sudden,  that  it  was  wonderful  how  the  lower  masts  con- 
tinued to  stand  ;  and  the  ponderous  metal !  (long  24's  and 
32's)  which  at  every  minute  or  two  were  almost  vertically 
suspended.  One  gun  only  broke  adrift,  passing  through 
the  sick-bay  bulk-head,  and  swinging  across  the  breech  of 
the  opposite  gun,  where  it  was  securely  lashed. 

"  Another  source  of  anxiety  was,  the  heavy  seas  that 
mcessantly  broke  over  the  ship,  and  the  quantity  of  water 
which,  although  the  hatches  were  well  secured,  found  its 
way  into  the  lower  deck.  To  admit  this  water  to  reach  the 
well,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  scuttle  the  lower  deck  ; 
and  to  add  to  our  distress,  the  leak  from  below  was  found 
to  increase,  notwithstanding  the  unwearied  efforts  of  our 
noble  fellows  to  surmount  it. 

"  The  best  bower-cable  having  been  bent  in  readiness  for 
anchoring  at  Barbadoes,  the  anchor,  during  the  storm,  was 
watched  as  rather  a  dangerous  appendage,  although  on 
another  occasion  it  would  have  been  viewed  with  quite  a 
contrary  feeling ;  men,  however,  were  stationed  with  axes 
at  the  manger-board,  in  readiness  to  cut  the  cable,  should 
such  be  found  necessary  ;  the  anchor  did  break  its  lashings, 
and  a  forecastleman,  applying  his  head  to  the  scuttle,  gave 
the  alarm  to  those  below;  the  cable  was  cut  and  the  anchor 
gone  before  it  had  time  to  strike  the  bow,  and  the  alarming 
circumstance  was  not  known  to  the  captain  until  the  pon- 
derous mass  had  descended  some  hundreds  of  fathoms:  its 
disappearance  afforded  the  greatest  satisfaction. 

"At  half  past  eleven,  I  conveyed  the  unwelcome  intelli- 
gence from  the  carpenter  to  the  captain,  that  the  leak  was 
fast  increasing ;  the  quantity  of  water  rushing  in  amounting 
to  six  feet  an  hour !  Every  spare  hand  was  immediately 
sent  down  to  the  pumps,  where  the  fine  body  of  marines 
were  exerting  themselves  in  the  most  praiseworthy  manner : 
these  men  were  altogether  the  most  perfect  company  of  that 
useful  branch  of  our  naval  service  that  I  have  ever  seen,  and 
men  in  all  respects  an  honor  to  it,  as  they  were  assuredly  to 
their  country. 

"  The  lower  deck,  at  this  time,  presented  a  scene  such  as 
no  person,  who  has  not  witnessed  a  similar  case,  can  picture 
to  himself:  the  air,  being  deprived  in  a  great  measure  of  its 


252  A    SHIP    OF    THE    LINE    IN    A    HURRICANE. 

oxygen,  by  the  inhalation  of  such  a  multitude,  and  a  want 
of  free  circulation,  was  almost  suffocating  to  those  who  de- 
scended, as  they  were  obliged  to  do  suddenly,  by  means  of 
man-ropes,  (all  the  ladders  being  unshipped,  from  the  violent 
and  continued  motion  of  the  ship,)  from  the  fresh  air  they 
had  been  breathing  on  the  upper  decks ;  but  it  is  singular 
that  those  who  were  below  for  some  time  did  not  complain 
of  a  similar  inconvenience  from  the  foulness  of  the  air ;  the 
heat,  however,  was  alike  oppressive  to  all,  and  the  men  had 
thrown  off  all  their  clothes  but  their  trousers. 

^'  The  water,  which  had  found  its  way  through  the  seams, 
and  up  the  pumps,  was  dashed  from  side  to  side,  according 
to  the  inclination  of  the  vessel,  and  with  it  were  carried 
various  articles  which  had  not  been  properly  secured. 

"  Yery  few  individuals  succeeded  in  obtaining  more  than 
a  ^QW  minutes'  sleep  during  the  continuance  of  the  hurri- 
cane :  on  the  deck  I  am  speaking  of,  there  was  no  '  pricking 
for  the  softest  plank;'  these  were  under  water.  The  captain, 
whose  ^aid'  I  had  the  honor  to  be,  taking  compassion  upon 
me,  I  suppose,  after  I  had  nearly  been  beaten  to  a  mummy 
in  my  various  slippery  trips  down  to  the  lower  deck,  to  con- 
vey his  orders,  and  to  learn  hov/  things  were  going  on  there, 
desired  me  to  go  down  to  rest,  if  I  could,  and  to  send  an- 
other mid  up.  I  was  not  long  in  descending,  for,  in  truth, 
my  eyelids  had  become  so  '  heavy,'  that  I  should  have  com- 
mitted a  breach  of  discipline  by  falhng  asleep  without  his 
order,  if  I  had  remained  ten  minutes  longer  upon  deck. 
When  I  had  reached  below,  I  waded  and  floundered 
amongst  the  chests,  benches,  hammocks,  &c.,  until  I  had 
gained  the  mess-table  in  the  gun-room ;  this  was  lashed 
amidships,  between  the  transom  cabins;  in  one  of  which 
Lieutenant  (afterwards  Captain)  Kenah*  lay  asleep,  with  the 
water  flowing  over  his  cot.  When  I  reached  the  table,  I 
found  it  already  occupied  by  some  of  the  mids,  lashed  over 
all,  who  were  snoring  away  in  concert  with  the  roar  of  the 
tempest,  whilst  the  water,  as  it  was  tossed  by  the  violent 
motion  of  the  ship,  every  now  and  then  dashed  over  their 
inanimate  bodies.     '  Happy  fellows  ! '   thought  I  at  the  mo- 

*  This  estimable  man,  and  excellent,  brave  officer,  after  greatly  distin- 
guishing himself  in  India,  under  Sir  C.  Cole,  was  unfortunately  killed 
by  the  Americans,  when  in  command  of  H.  M.  S.  iEtna. 


PRAISEWORTHY    EXERTIONS    OF    THE    MEN.  253 

ment ;  'I  envy  your  perfect  state  of  repose,  and  I  will  try  to 
imitate  your  example.'  Calling  one  of  the  men  to  my  aid,  I 
edged  in,  holding  on  by  the  ropes,  until  a  turn  or  two  was 
passed  round  me  and  made  fast.  I  had  scarcely  adjusted 
myself  ere  I  was  sound  asleep ;  but  my  slumbers  were  soon 
interrupted,  for  an  unlucky  weather  lurch  broke  our  moor- 
ings, and  pitched  table,  mids,  and  all,  fairly  into  the  worthy 
lieutenant's  cot,  which,  breaking  down  with  the  heavy  weight, 
nearly  smothered  us  and  him  also ;  in  truth,  it  was  no  easy 
matter  to  get  extricated  from  this  corner ;  as  it  was,  most  of 
us  were  severely  bruised.  We  were  also  in  a  sad  hungry 
state ;  there  was  no  cooking,  and,  except  the  shadow  of  a 
weevly  biscuit,  nothing  could  be  got  at.  I  recollect  an 
animated  scramble  taking  place  for  a  salt-beef  bone,  which 
one  of  the  mates  had,  whilst  foraging,  fished  out  from  the 
ruins  of  the  mess  cupboard  under  water,  but  which  had 
slipped  from  his  hands  into  it  again.  These  trivial  circum- 
stances may  serve  to  show  the  deplorable  state  to  which  we 
were  reduced. 

^'  Incessant  bodily  labor,  want  of  rest,  food,  and  some 
stimulating  beverage,  had  now  impaired  the  strength  of  the 
men ;  yet  their  spirits  were  as  buoyant  as  ever,  for  they  were 
sensible  that,  under  Providence,  the  safety  of  the  ship  and 
all  on  board  depended  upon  their  exertions.  The  captain 
and  officers  gave  up  the  liquors  that  belonged  to  them, 
which,  being  served  out,  at  intervals,  in  small  quantities  to 
the  men,  gave  these  fine  fellows  additional  vigor.  Their 
exertions  were  almost  incredible  ;  and  I  am  satisfied  that 
none  of  the  surviving  officers  ever  revert  to  the  subject 
"without  feelings  of  the  livehest  satisfaction,  admiration,  and 
gratitude.  With  the  exception  of  the  cheering,  which  was 
absolutely  necessary,  there  was  no  noise,  no  confusion,  and 
not  a  murmur  ever  escaped  them,  at  the  extreme  bodily 
exertion  required  to  work  the  chain-pumps,  and  under  the 
privations  mentioned :  every  point  of  duty  was  performed 
consonant  with  the  best  system  of  discipline,  and  with  the 
most  ready  and  cheerful  obedience  to  the  commands  of  the 
officers :  their  conduct  might  be  equalled,  but  never  sur- 
passed, not  even  by  the  Alceste's. 

"  There  were  a  great  many  men,  unfortunately,  on  the 
sick-list  J  their  condition  was  wretched  in  the  extreme,  con- 
22 


254  A    SHIP    OF    THE    LINE    IN    A    HURRICANE, 

fined  as  they  were  to  the  cable  tiers ;  every  thing,  however, 
that  could  be  suggested  for  alleviating  their  situation,  was 
done  by  the  humanity  and  attention  of  the  surgeon,  who, 
being  without  an  assistant,  had  to  perform  the  duty  himself. 

"As  the  midday  approached,  the  motions  of  the  ship  be- 
came so  violent,  that  apprehension  was  entertained  of  the 
immediate  fall  of  the  masts ;  very  near  noon,  this  appre- 
hension was  realized  ;  the  mainmast  went  over  the  side  with 
a  tremendous  crash,  without  touching  the  bulwark  1  An 
idea  may  be  formed,  from  this  circumstance,  of  the  position 
of  the  ship  at  this  awful  moment :  the  weighty  stick  was 
sprung  on  the  weather  lurch,  and  tumbled  headlong  into  the 
sea,  at  the  moment  the  ship  had  reached  her  greatest  incli- 
nation to  leeward,  when  the  ivholc  of  the  starboard  bulwarks 
were  under  water ! 

*'  Shortly  after,  the  mizzenmast  followed,  breaking  in  three 
pieces,  the  middle  part  falling  upon  deck ;  the  two  cutters 
were  also  lost,  and  the  arm  and  signal  chests  smashed  in 
pieces.  At  this  moment,  part  of  an  enormous  wave  came 
with  full  force  against  the  after  part  of  the  ship,  and  made 
a  clear  sweep  over  the  poop-deck,  carrying  away  the  cap- 
tain's gig  and  the  lantern,  and  making  every  timber  quake. 
The  portion  of  this  sea  which  passed  astern,  was  much  higher 
than  the  ship's  hull  abaft. 

"  I  observed,  when  looking  to  leeward,  that  some  of  the 
waves,  when  pressed  by  others  in  hasty  succession,  curled 
over  to  windward,  with  a  round,  frothy  top,  which  suddenly 
gave  way,  and  the  whole  body  of  whitened  water  came 
down  at  once ;  in  general,  however,  they  doubled  over,  and 
ran  forward  with  a  sort  of  jumping  motion,  gradually,  but 
still  rapidly,  forming  a  deep  concavity,  which,  when  it  had 
reached  its  utmost  depression,  began  again  to  swell  up,  and 
so  on  in  succession. 

''AH  now  upon  deck  was  a  scene  of  active  bustle  and 
emulation.  The  recollection  is  heart-stirring.  The  disregard 
of  personal  danger,  in  the  noble  efforts  of  the  noble  fellows 
to  clear  the  wreck  now  endangering  the  ship,  and  amid  the 
appalling  scene  of  desolation  that  surrounded  them,  the 
deafening  fury  of  the  wind,  and  the  lofty  foaming  of  the 
rushing  waves — in  truth  beggars  description.  The  uplifted 
axe,   the   shining   tomahawk,  and    the   handy   knife,   were 


THE  EXPLOITS  OF  HECTOR  MOORE.         255 

wielded  and  applied  in  all  directions ;  the  adventurous  band 
often  overwhelmed  by  the  surging  billows  which,  now  as  the 
vessel's  motion  increased,  broke  over  her  with  unrelenting 
turbulence. 

"I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  one  of  these  brave  men, 
(who,  I  dare  say,  will  not  yet  have  been  forgotten  by  some 
of  the  survivors.)  His  name  was  Hector  Moore,  a  Caledo- 
nian —  meet  child  of  that  poetic  land  —  tall,  bony,  and 
powerful,  with  a  countenance  as  serene  and  calm,  amid  the 
war  of  elements,  as  the  most  impassive  judge  ever  wore. 
This  worthy  Scot's  exertions  were  conspicuous  among  those 
made  by  the  little  band,  and  he  was  the  admiration  and 
praise  of  those  officers  who  witnessed  his  exploits :  it  was 
he,  too,  who  had  cut  the  cable,  and  rid  us  of  the  anchor. 
Where  art  thou  now,  poor  Hector  Moore  ?  Gone,  perhaps, 
to  the  land  of  spirits!  —  Peace  be  to  thy  undaunted  soul! — ■ 
I  shall  never  forget  thy  doings  on  this  memorable  day. 

"  It  is  in  the  hour  of  need  and  peril  (as  has  been  re- 
marked, over  and  over  again)  that  the  able  and  orderly 
seaman  is  known,  and  best  seen  to  advantage ;  and  it  is  at 
such  times,  that  that  daring  spirit,  the  noble  characteristic 
of  the  sons  of  Britain,  shines  with  peculiar  splendor,  sur- 
mounting obstacles  which  often  appear  impossible  to  be 
overcome. 

"  Having  cut  away  the  wreck,  and  seen  it  clear  of  the 
ship,  the  few  men  that  performed  this  duty  were  sent  down 
to  the  pumps ;  for  the  leak  was  increasing,  and  there  was  no 
abatement  of  the  hurricane. 

"  Our  perilous  situation,  as  time  advanced,  became  more 
and  more  apparent ;  the  men  could  not  possibly  hold  out 
much  longer,  and,  as  every  hour  lessened  their  strength,  so 
the  water  must  increase ;  and  it  was  estimated  that  in  twenty- 
four  hours  our  fate  would  be  decided  !  Under  these  circum- 
stances, the  officers  came  to  the  determination  of  offijring  to 
take  their  turn  at  the  pumps ;  but  this  the  captain,  although 
fully  appreciating  their  motive,  would  not  allow,  unless  the 
men  displayed  symptoms  of  drooping.  It  must  be  observed 
that  the  crew  were  ignorant  of  the  progressive  increase  of 
the  leak,  which  had  now  reached  to  eight  feet  an  hour  1 
This  was  certainly  a  wise  precaution,  and,  indeed,  under 
similar  circumstances,  is  generally  followed ;  for,  although  I 


256  A    SHIP    OF    THE    LINE    IN    A    HURRICANE. 

do  not  believe  that  the  fact,  if  known  to  them,  would  have 
caused  any  feeling  like  despair,  yet  it  might  have  created  an 
alarm,  and  have  given  rise  to  serious  consequences :  the 
same  motive,  no  doubt,  influenced  the  commander  in  not 
immediately  yielding  to  the  offer  of  the  officers.  Every 
mode  that  could  be  devised  to  cheer  and  encourage  the 
efforts  of  the  men,  was  resorted  to ;  but  in  no  one  instance 
was  there  the  slightest  occasion  for  enforcing  order ;  every 
individual  did  his  duty  cheerfully. 

"  Thus  were  we  situated,  looking  forward  with  anxiety  to 
the  period  which  was  to  determine  whether  we  should  sink 
or  swim !  On  the  gloomy  side  of  the  question,  this  could 
not  be  far  distant ;  and  whether  the  other  would  ever  arrive 
to  us,  could  only  be  hoped  and  devoutly  prayed  for :  the 
latter,  happily,  soon  became  apparent.  At  4,  P.  M.,  the 
clouds  began  to  break  ;  a  spot  of  the  heavenly  blue  here  and 
there  was  seen,  and  gazed  at  with  that  sort  of  intense  satis- 
faction with  which  the  warrant  of  reprieve  may  be  supposed 
to  affect  the  unhappy  wretch  who  had  been  condemned  to 
die.  And  the  wind,  too,  that  mysterious  power,  the  source 
of  all  our  disquiet,  began,  in  a  slight  degree,  to  decrease. 
The  relief  to  the  mind  which  this  change  afforded,  can 
better  be  conceived  than  described. 

"  More,  perhaps,  with  the  intent  of  cheering  the  men, 
than  with  any  expectation  of  succeeding  in  the  attempt,  an 
order  was  given  from  the  quarter-deck,  for  some  of  the  men 
to  come  up  and  '  make  sail ! '  It  is  doubtful  if  ever  these 
spirit-stirring  words,  ay,  even  to  chase,  were  ever  before 
received  with  more  joy  and  exultation  by  a  crew ;  the 
cheers  that  followed  would  almost  have  put  new  life  into 
a  dying  seaman ;  they  were  delightful  to  hear,  and  electric 
in  effect. 

"  The  sheet  of  the  fore-storm-staysail  was  hauled  aft,  and 
the  sail  attempted  to  be  hoisted  from  the  main-bitts  to  the 
stump  of  the  mizzenmast ;  it  blew  instantly  into  ribbons,  as 
if  to  mock  our  joy  ;  nevertheless,  the  few  hands  who  had 
come  up  were  kep-t  on  deck,  that  our  failure  might  not  check 
the  rising  spirits  of  those  at  the  pumps. 

"At  half  past  6  in  the  evening,  the  scud  began  to  drive 
fast,  and  the  weather  became  clearer,  when  one  of  the  look- 
out men  announced,  '  A  large  ship  coming  right  down  upon 


I 


'i 


NARROW    ESCAPE    FROM    BEING    RUN    DOWN.  259 

US ! '  Every  body  sprang  from  under  the  bulwark,  and 
looked  to  windward. 

"  On  the  quarter  (to  the  S.  E.)  a  large  vessel  was  indis- 
tinctly seen  scudding,  (wind  S.  S.  W.)  and  in  a  moment  or 
two  after,  she  dashed  close  past  the  stern,  with  a  proximity 
and  rapidity  that  were  startling ;  she  was  soon  lost  to  view 
in  the  gloom  to  leeward.  We  had  just  time  to  observe  that 
her  fore-topmast  was  gone,  and  from  her  great  size  we  con- 
jectured her  to  be  the  St.  George,  and  were  extremely  happy 
to  find  her  still  buoyant,  as,  from  her  leaky  state,  we  had 
been  indulging  (and,  indeed,  continued  to  do  so  afterwards) 
the  most  gloomy  apprehensions  for  her  safety ;  and  we  found 
out  subsequently,  when  again  meeting  at  Halifax,  that  these 
feelings  had  been  reciprocally  entertained  ;  they,  on  passing 
us,  thought  it  impossible  that  we  could  weather  out  the 
storm.  This  was  another  imminent  danger  most  provi- 
dentially averted ;  had  it  been  an  hour  later,  or  indeed  had 
hot  the  weather  cleared  up  as  it  did  just  at  the  time,  so  as 
to  admit  of  the  St.  George's  steersmen  catching  a  momen- 
tary gUmpse  of  our  ship,  and  avoiding  contact,  by  putting 
the  wheel  a  spoke  to  port,  both  ships,  in  all  probability,  would 
have  been  ingulfed  in  the  ocean  ;  the  Centaur  undoubtedly 
must  have  gone  down  from  the  shock ! 

"  The  news  of  the  St.  George  being  safe,  and  the  hurri- 
cane breaking,  was  soon  conveyed  to  the  men  at  the  pumps, 
and  they  testified  their  joy  and  heart-felt  delight  by  repeated 
cheers ;  and  although,  as  may  be  supposed,  their  strength 
must  have  been  greatly  lessened  from  incessant  labor,  want 
of  rest,  &,c.,  yet  I  believe  truly,  that  there  was  more  water 
discharged  at  this  time  than  at  any  preceding  period ;  such 
influence  have  the  animal  spirits  upon  the  physical  powers 
of  the  body. 

"  Night  was  now  approaching,  and  as  it  was  not  possible 
to  ascertain  the  relative  positions  of  the  other  vessels,  it  was 
not  without  a  reasonable  degree  of  anxiety  that  we  contem- 
plated the  possibility  of  one  or  other  of  these  running  us 
down.  The  near  realization  of  such  a  catastrophe  which 
we  had  just  escaped,  rather  added  to  our  disquiet ;  and  it 
was  impossible  not  to  be  impressed  with  the  conviction, 
notwithstanding  the  height  of  the  hurricane  seemed  to  have 
past,  that,  unless  some  of  our  consorts  should  be  at  hand  in 


260  A    SHIP    OF    THE    LINE    IN    A    HURRICANE. 

the  morning  to  afford  us  aid,  there  was  no  other  prospect  of 
our  being  able  to  keep  the  ship  afloat.  In  such  a  forlorn 
hope,  the  mercy  of  Providence  alone  could  save  us  by  the 
intervention  of  some  unlooked-for  succor;  and  to  this  'sheet 
anchor '  of  the  Christian  we  clung. 

"At  8  in  the  evening,  the  wind,  although  still  blow- 
ing violently,  had  evidently  lessened,  and  the  clouds  were 
moving  in  rapid  succession  ;  but  the  motion  of  the  ship 
rather  increased,  as  did  the  leak,  now  exceeding  rather 
more  than  eight  feet  an  hour ;  happily,  however,  the  men 
still  continued  their  labor,  which  was  almost  superhuman ; 
indeed,  an  ordinary  ship's  company  could  never  have  gone 
through  the  fatigue,  attended  by  the  privations,  which  these 
noble  fellows  underwent.  They  were  a  picked  crew  —  the 
same  gallant  spirits  who  had  performed  so  many  deeds  of 
daring  under  that  ornament  to  the  service,  the  late  Sir 
Samuel  Hood. 

^'  The  night  was  pitchy  dark,  and  the  ^  ivhipping  smacks^ 
of  the  furious  wind  sounded  in  our  ears  as  the  wail  of  the 
death-note ;  every  hour  seemed  an  age ;  and  the  minds  of 
those  who  were  left  for  a  short  time  to  the  quiet  indulgence 
of  their  own  thoughts,  if  these  could  be  defined,  dwelt  per- 
haps upon 

'  That  tender  farewell  on  the  shore 
Of  this  rude  world,  when  all  is  o'er, 
Which  cheers  the  spirit,  ere  its  bark 
Puts  off  into  the  unknown  dark.' 

"  The  dawn  of  day,  on  the  30th,  at  last  arrived,  and  pre- 
pared objects  for  our  sight  that  were  hailed  with  indescriba- 
ble delight.  The  Eagle  and  Atlas  were  seen  to  windward ! 
It  is  impossible  to  convey  to  the  minds  of  those  persons  who 
have  not  been  placed  in  a  situation  of  such  extreme  peril, 
the  delight  with  which  this  intelligence  was  received  by  the 
almost  worn-out  crew. 

"Our  situation,  as  must  be  obvious  to  the  seaman,  was 
not  immediately  bettered  by  the  lessening  of  the  wind ;  for 
not  until  the  sea  went  down  also,  could  we  build  upon  our 
safety ;  and  before  that  consummation,  so  devoutly  wished, 
should  arrive,  the  men,  perhaps,  might  give  way  from  sheer 
exhaustion ;  and  then  our  fate  would  speedily  have  been 


THE    SHIP    IS    TOWED    INTO    HALIFAX.  261 

sealed,  as,  no  doubt,  that  of  many  others  has  been  under 
similar  circumstances ;  but  it  pleased  Heaven  to  ordain  it 
otherwise :  both  wind  and  sea  gradually  subsided,  and  the 
timely  assistance  derived  from  the  Eagle  saved  us.  It 
was  the  consciousness  of  this,  coupled  with  the  personal 
exertions  of  the  excellent  captain,  his  officers,  and  men, 
that  so  endeared  that  ship,  and  all  on  board,  to  our  officers 
and  crew. 

"  The  two  ships  had  lost  their  topmasts  and  sprung  their 
lower  masts,  and  were  otherwise  damaged ;  but  none  of  the 
squadron  were  so  shattered  as  the  Centaur :  she  was  an  un- 
wieldy, though  beautiful  ship,  of  great  length,  carrying  heavy 
metal,  and  had  been  considerably  shaken  when  she  had  been 
aground. 

"  We  were  towed  to  Halifax,  N.  S.,  by  the  Eagle,  where 
we  arrived  on  the  15th  of  August;  and  thus  all  our  fair 
prospects  of  reaping  glory  with  Lord  Nelson  were  blasted 
by  this  unlucky  hurricane.  We  lost  our  station  in  the  line 
at  Trafalgar,  for  which  no  subsequent  good  luck  could  pos- 
sibly compensate. 

"  For  the  safety  of  the  ship,  it  was  found  necessary  to 
heave  many  of  the  guns  overboard,  and  the  ship's  bottom 
was  bothered  with  a  thrumbed  sail,  which  greatly  lessened 
the  leak.  In  conclusion,  I  may  state,  that  all  the  officers 
and  crew  attended  divine  service  at  church,  where  prayers 
were  offered  up  to  God  for  our  deliverance. 

*''The  lieutenants  of  the  ship  were  —  R.  Campbell,  R. 
Kenah,  W.  Croker,  W.  Brown,  T.  Smith,  and  W.  H. 
Dickson." 


SOME    PARTICULARS 


RESPECTING 


A     JAPANESE   VESSEL 


Which  reached  Woahoo,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
after  heing  blown  off  the  Coast  of  Japan,  and  drift- 
ing on  the  Ocean  nearly  a  Year. 

APTAIN  BRUCE,  of  H.  B.  M.  ship  Imo- 
geiie,  presented  to  the  United  Service 
Institution  in  London,  in  April,  1840,  a 
large  grapnel,  belonging  to  a  Japanese 
boat,  which  was  blown  off  the  coast  in  a 
typhoon  ;  and  after  drifting  on  the  ocean 
during  eleven  months  and  a  half,  she  for- 
tunately reached  Whyarua,  in  Woahoo,  December,  1832. 
For  the  last  three  months,  they  had  been  without  water :  they 
had  a  large  supply  of  rice,  it  being  the  principal  part  of  the 
cargo;  and  they  allayed  their  thirst  by  washing  their  mouths 
and  soaking  their  bodies  in  salt  water.  They  thus  preserved 
their  lives,  although  their  bodies  were  dreadfully  excoriated, 
from  the  action  of  the  salt  water,  resembling  the  rough  side 
of  pickled  tripe.  The  natural  freshness  of  the  rice  mainly 
tended  towards  their  preservation.  The  vessel  was  about 
seventy  tons'  burden,  with  one  very  large  mast  amidships,  a 
smaller  one  on  the  stem-head,  and  a  still  smaller  one  abaft  on 
the  tafferel ;  her  sails  were  all  worn  out  but  the  one  on  the 
large  mast,  which  was  very  much  dilapidated.  It  was  of  a 
quadrangular  shape,  extended  aloft  by  a  yard,  the  braces  of 
vvhich  worked  forwards ;  three  pieces  of  black  cloth  came 
half  way  down  the  sail,  at  an  equal  distance  from  each  other. 
She  was  higher  at  the  stem  and  stern  than  in  the  middle,  and 
had  curiously  carved  work  on  her  bow  and  stern ;  she  was  very 
strongly  built,  and  fastened  with  flat,  wedge-shaped  nails ; 
she  had  five  anchors  or  grapnels,  one  of  which  was  brought 
to  England  by  Captain  Bruce,  and  presented  to  the  institu- 
tion.    The  crew  could  not  converse  with  the  Chinese,  but 


A    SKETCH    OF    JAPAN.  263 

understood  most  of  their  written  characters.  The  unfor- 
tunate men,  who  belonged  to  Osaeca,  which  is  the  most 
considerable  seaport  of  Japan,  were  treated  with  humanity 
by  the  Chinese,  and  subsequently  obtained  a  passage  to 
their  native  land.  This  extensive  country,  situated  in  the 
most  eastern  part  of  Asia,  was  discovered  by  some  Portu- 
guese, in  1542,  who  were  cast  on  shore  by  a  tempest.  It 
consists  of  three  large  and  many  lesser  islands.  The  larger 
of  the  two  islands  is  Japan  itself,  usually  called  by  the  na- 
tives Niphon.  The  next  in  extent  is  Ximo,  and  the  smaller 
of  the  three  is  Xicoco,  situate  between  the  former  two, 
Niphon  is  surrounded  by  craggy  rocks,  —  the  greatest  secu- 
rity of  the  empire  from  foreign  invasions,  —  which  are  so 
high  and  inaccessible,  that,  when  seen  at  sea  from  a  distance, 
the  whole  appears  as  one  immense  rock. 

"  A  rock  that  braves 
The  raging-  tempest  and  the  rising  waves, 
Self- propped  it  seems  to  stand.     Its  solid  sides 
Keep  off  the  sea-weeds  and  the  sounding  tides." 

The  soil  is  rocky  and  rather  barren  ;  but  through  the  in- 
dustry of  the  natives  it  has  been  greatly  improved,  and  the 
very  rocks  produce  plants  and  fruits  in  abundance. 

Though  the  breezes  from  the  sea  tend  to  moderate  the 
summer's  heat,  they  add  to  the  intenseness  of  the  winter's 
cold,  and  render  the  seasons  more  uncertain  here  than  in 
any  other  parts  of  the  Indies.  Dreadful  storms  and  hurri- 
canes, and  tremendous  thunder  and  lightning,  are  also  com- 
mon here,  to  the  great  alarm  and  injury  of  the  natives. 
It  was  during  one  of  these  terrible  tempests  that  these  un- 
fortunate men  were  blown  off  the  coast ;  and  after  drifting 
at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  currents  almost  a  whole  year, 
they  luckily  reached  land :  their  sufferings,  during  this  long 
period,  were  probably  more  severe  than  were  ever  experi- 
enced by  any  other  crew  on  the  ocean.  The  vessel's  com- 
pany originally  consisted  of  six :  one  died  during  the  pas- 
sage ,  he  was  dressed  in  his  best  clothes,  and  then  wrapped 
up  in  matting,  within  which  were  put  some  gums,  spices,  and 
money,  and  the  whole  securely  bound  round  with  coir  rope, 
and  to  the  corpse  was  affixed  one  of  the  grapnels  ;  after  the 
ceremony  of  singing  over  it,  they  committed  it  to  the  deep. 


EIGHT  DAYS  ON  BOARD  OF  A  BURNING  SHIP; 

BEING 

THE    PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   OFFICERS   AND   CREW 

OF   THE 

BARQUE   BURLINGTON, 

Which  was  struck  by  Lightning  and  burnt  in  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  March,  1810. 

N  the  10th  of  March,  1840,  the  barque 
Burlington,  of  Boston,  Captain  Hallet, 
bound  from  New  Orleans  to  Havre,  was 
struck  by  lightning,  in  lat.  36°  40'  N., 
and  long.  56°  W.  We  introduce  the 
graphic  extracts  from  the  ship's  log-book, 
kept  by  the  mate,  Mr.  John  Girdler,  with 
the  following  remarks  of  Captain  Sleeper. 

"  The  situation  of  these  men  on  board  the  Burlington 
was  not  an  enviable  one.  They  stood,  as  it  were,  on  the 
summit  of  a  volcano,  which  was  raging  beneath  them,  and 
threatening  at  each  moment  to  burst  out  with  uncontrollable 
fury.  They  were  cold,  wet,  and  uncomfortable,  during  a 
great  part  of  this  time,  and  exhausted  by  their  labors  to  ex- 
tinguish or  stifle  the  fire.  The  carbonic  acid  gas,  which 
generated  in  large  quantities,  drove  them  from  the  cabin, 
and  they  had  no  place  of  refuge  beneath  the  deck.  During 
these  few  days,  they  were  visited  by  several  dreadful  gales, 
at  which  times  it  happened  providentially  that  the  fire, did 
not  break  out,  for  no  hoat  could  have  lived  during  such 
weather  as  they  experienced ;  and  when  the  whole  interior 
of  the  vessel  was,  as  it  were,  a  mass  of  fire,  which  it  became 
evident  was  about  to  burst  through  the  deck,  the  weather 
moderated ;  a  ship  hove  in  sight,  steering  directly  towards 
them,  took  them  off,  and  in  a  few  hours  afterwards  the 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRUCK    WITH    LIGHTNING.  265 

barque  was  burnt  down  to  the  water's  edge  and  sunk ! 
The  captain,  officers,  and  crew,  ought  to  feel  deeply  grateful 
for  the  aid  which  was  afforded  them  by  the  Divine  Power  in 
this  trying  hour.  They  appear  to  have  exhibited  a  degree 
of  coolness,  intrepidity,  and  wisdom,  during  the  circum- 
stances which  attended  the  loss  of  the  barque,  which  reflect 
honor  on  the  American  character,  and  must  command  the 
admiration  of  all  who  can  conceive  the  perilous  situation  in 
which  they  were  placed.  The  extracts  from  the  log-book 
are  written  in  plain  but  forcible  language,  and  convey  a 
graphic  sketch  of  an  extraordinary  event,  which  cannot  be 
read  without  emotion." 

^^  Tuesday,  March  10,  1840.  Commences  with  fresh 
southerly  breezes  and  passing  clouds ;  a  brig  in  company. 
At  2,  P.  M.,  took  in  topgallantsails.  At  6,  blowing  fresh, 
double-reefed  the  topsails,  reefed  mainsail,  sent  down  royal- 
yards,  &c.  At  7,  very  sharp  lightning  in  the  south-west ; 
close-reefed  the  topsails,  drew  the  pump  spears,  unshipped 
the  bolts,  and  stopped  up  the  pumps  with  wet  swabs.  At 
half  past  9,  were  struck  by  a  flash  of  lightning,  which  came 
down  the  larboard  main-topsail-sheet,  and  passed  down  the 
larboard  pump,  knocked  down  the  second  officer  and  all  the 
watch,  except  the  man  at  the  wheel.  All  hands  were  turned 
up  to  examine  the  ship,  but  we  could  not  perceive  that  any 
injury  had  been  done.  But  at  a  quarter  past  12,  A.  M.,  we 
discovered  that  the  ship  was  on  fire,  by  the  smoke  issuing 
from  the  booby-hatch  and  forecastle.  We  cut  a  hole  in  the 
coat  of  the  mainmast,  and  found  all  on  fire  on  the  larboard 
side.  Hauled  up  courses  and  wore  ship  to  the  W.  S.  W., 
bored  a  hole  with  a  large  auger,  and  found  all  on  fire  below. 
After  pouring  down  a  large  quantity  of  water,  and  finding 
the  decks  getting  hotter  and  hotter,  thought  it  best  to  en- 
deavor to  smother  it;  stopped  up  every  place  through  which 
the  air  could  communicate,  and  commenced  clearing  away 
the  boats,  putting  on  board  of  them  provisions,  water,  &c. 
At  8,  A.  M.,  got  out  the  boats;  the  yawl  filled  while  lower- 
ing her  into  the  water ;  the  third  mate  and  part  of  the  crew 
got  into  the  long-boat ;  veered  her  away  under  the  lee  of 
the  ship  by  a  hawser.  At  10,  A.  M.,  expecting  the  flames 
would  burst  out  every  instant,  hauled  the  boat  up  under  the 
stern,  and  all  hands  lowered  themselves  into  the  boat  by 
23 


266  EIGHT    DAYS    IN    A    BURNING    SHIP. 

the  davit  falls ;  dropped  astern  of  the  ship,  and  commenced 
fitting  waist-cloths  for  the  boat.  This  day  ends  with  strong 
gales  from  the  S.  S.  W.  and  a  heavy  sea,  with  thunder  and 
lightning.     Lat.  37°  08'  N.,  long.  54°  40^ 

"  Wednesday,  March  11.  Commences  with  strong  gales, 
but  moderating.  At  2,  P.  M.,  hauled  the  boat  alongside, 
under  the  lee  of  the  ship,  and  got  on  board.  Found  that 
the  fire  was  somewhat  smothered,  as  the  decks  were  not  so 
hot  as  when  we  got  into  the  boat.  Left  some  hands  in  the 
long-boat  to  keep  her  safe,  and  all  the  rest  turned  to,  to  en- 
deavor to  save  the  ship.  We  commenced  boring  holes  in 
the  hottest  parts  of  the  deck,  and  after  pouring  down  some 
seventy  or  eighty  buckets  of  water,  plugged  up  the  holes, 
and  bored  in  other  places.  We  soon  found  the  deck  and 
waist  getting  cooler;  and  as  so  much  smoke  did  not  come 
up  as  before,  we  began  to  entertain  hopes  of  being  able  to 
keep  the  fire  under,  until  we  should  be  able  to  reach  some 
port ;  and  from  the  way  we  have  got  the  wind,  we  think  it 
will  be  best  to  endeavor  to  reach  a  southern  port  in  the 
United  States ;  or,  if  finally  obliged  to  quit  the  ship,  we 
shall  stand  a  better  chance  of  being  picked  up  by  some 
vessel.  At  10,  P.  M.,  hoisted  in  the  boats,  let  out  the 
reefs,  and  steered  N.  W.  by  N.  Rigged  the  starboard 
pump,  and  commenced  pumping  up  and  pouring  down 
water  through  the  auger-holes.  The  first  water  we  pumped 
up  was  more  than  blood  warm,  but  it  soon  became  cooler. 
Midnight;  moderate  and  cloudy.  Let  one  watch  lie  down, 
whilst  the  other  was  employed  in  pasting  up  every  vent-hole 
below.  At  4,  A.  M.,  every  crack  and  hole  was  covered 
over  with  paste,  paper,  and  sails,  and  the  decks  were  grow- 
ing cooler;  still  employed  in  pouring  down  water.  At  10, 
A.  M.,  strong  breezes ;  double-reefed  the  topsails.  The 
forecastle  being  all  pasted  up  and  covered  over,  the  crew, 
being  unable  to  get  at  their  chests,  have  no  clothing  but 
what  they  stood  in  when  the  alarm  of  fire  was  given ; 
several  have  no  jackets  or  hats.  We  supplied  them  as  well 
as  we  could  from  the  cabin.  Latter  part,  strong  gales  ;  but 
we  are  in  hopes  to  succeed  in  our  plan  of  stifling  the  fire. 
Lat.  38°  00^  long.  55°  54'. 

"  Thursday,  March  12.  Commences  with  strong  gales 
from  the  S.  S.  W.     All  hands  still  employed  in  pumping 


GREAT    EFFORTS    TO    EXTINGUISH    THE    FIRE.  26T 

up  and  throwing  down  water,  securing  the  long-boat,  &c. 
At  7,  P.  M.,  hove  to,  with  violent  squalls,  heavy  rains,  and 
incessant  and  terrific  thunder  and  lightning.  At  midnight, 
wind  shifted  to  westward,  and  moderated  some  ;  set  foresail 
and  reefed  spanker.  Decks  still  continue  hot,  and  every 
time  we  take  out  a  plug  to  pour  down  water  through  a 
tunnel,  smoke,  steam,  and  gas,  rush  up.  At  4,  P.  M., 
more  moderate,  and  made  more  sail.  Latter  part,  strong 
breezes  from  the  N.  W.,  and  pleasant.  Decks  continue 
hot,  but  we  are  in  hopes  that  our  plan  of  smothering  the 
fire  will  succeed.  We  got  another  mast  coat  fitted  round 
the  foremast,  and  are  preparing  one  for  the  n>ainmast.  A 
part  of  the  crew  are  watching  all  the  cracks  about  the 
hatchways,  companions,  scuttles,  &c.,  and  are  ready  to 
stop  up  the  seams  whenever  the  smoke  may  issue  forth. 
Lat.  38^  56'  N.,  long.  56°  45'. 

^^  Friday,  March  13.  Commences  with  fresh  breezes 
from  the  N.  W.,  and  pleasant  weather.  Wind  hauling 
to  the  northward,  at  5,  P.  M.,  wore  ship  to  the  westward. 
At  sunset,  saw  a  ship  about  eight  miles  oflf.  At  8,  P.  M., 
calm,  and  pumped  out  the  ship  dry.  By  keeping  a  blanket, 
soaking  wet,  around  the  coat  of  the  mainmast,  it  is  kept 
considerably  cool,  but  by  putting  a  finger  down  the  holes, 
it  is  as  hot  as  can  be  borne.  Latter  part,  moderate  breezes 
from  S.  E.,  and  cloudy.  Heat  below,  about  the  same.  Two 
brigs  passed  us  between  10,  A.  M.,  and  12,  M. 

"  Saturday,  March  14.  Commences  with  moderate 
breezes,  gradually  increasing,  from  S.  S.  E.  At  7,  P.  M., 
it  increased  to  a  violent  gale,  and  the  lightning  was  terrific, 
barometer  falling  in  a  remarkable  manner.  At  10,  P.  M., 
wind  S.  S.  W.,  blowing  heavy,  hove  to  under  close-reefed 
maintopsail.  At  half  past  4,  A.  M.,  a  dreadful  gale  from 
S.  S.  W. ;  shipped  a  sea  which  nearly  filled  the  cabin  and 
state-rooms  with  water.  Found  the  smell  of  smoke  coming 
up  from  below.  After  searching  about  some  time,  (it  being 
very  dark,)  found  the  coat  of  the  mizzenmast  ripped  up ; 
secured  it  as  soon  as  possible.  At  8,  A.  M.,  it  blew  a  hur- 
ricane from  N.  W.  ;  barometer  having  fallen  two  inches. 
Latter  part,  lying  to  under  bare  poles.  We  are  now  in 
great  distress,  our  store-room  being  filled  with  water,  pro- 
visions all  wet,  and  all  our  clothing  and  bedding  soaked  in 


268  EIGHT    DAYS    IN    A    BURNING    SHIP. 

water.  The  ship  has  strained  two  butts  open,  near  where 
the  fire  broke  out;  calked  them  tight.  The  heat  below,  ap- 
parently about  the  same.     Lat.  40°  27',  long.  58°  IT. 

^'Sunday,  March  15.  Commences  with  a  perfect  hurri- 
cane from  N.  W. ;  ship  lying  to  under  bare  poles.  At  4, 
A.  M.,  wore  ship  to  the  westward,  and  made  some  sail. 
Find  that  the  fire  has  gained  on  us  a  good  deal ;  poured 
down  more  water,  and  kept  off  the  wind  at  8,  A.  M.,  to 
free  the  ship.  Found  a  good  deal  of  water  in  her ;  mast 
coat  very  hot,  and  large  quantities  of  smoke  coming  up  the 
holes.  Latter  part,  heavy  gales  from  N.  W.,  with  severe 
snow  and  hail  squalls ;  the  fire  below  still  burning,  and  not 
able  to  extinguish  it,  and  a  very  heavy  sea  running,  Lat. 
40°  &,  long.  57°  25'. 

Monday,  March  16.  Strong  gales  from  N.  W.,  and 
heavy  squalls.  From  meridian  till  5,  P.  M.,  all  hands  em- 
ployed in  pumping  up,  drawing,  and  pouring  down  water 
on  the  fire.  At  6,  P.  M.,  smoke  not  rising  quite  so  fast, 
nor  the  steam  so  hot,  made  more  sail.  Moderate  during 
the  night ;  and  continued  to  pour  down  water  at  intervals. 
There  has  been  more  gas  in  the  cabin  to-night  than  at  any 
time  yet.  Several  of  the  crew  were  so  badly  aflfected  by 
it,  that  they  could  with  difficulty  keep  from  fainting.  At 
10,  A.  M.,  a  violent  gale  from  the  westward,  and  pleasant 
weather;  under  close-reefed  maintopsail  and  foresail.  The 
heat  below  appeared  to  have  abated  somewhat  since  yester- 
day. Captain  Hallet  lay  down  (in  the  cabin)  at  1,  A.  M., 
and  on  calling  him  at  4,  A.  M.,  he  was  nearly  dead,  (by  in- 
hahng  the  gas,)  and  fell  down  as  soon  as  he  came  on  deck. 
Lat.  40°  2r,  long.  58°  42'. 

"  Tuesday,  March  17.  Commences  with  strong  gales 
from  the  west,  and  clear  weather.  At  1,  P.  M.,  it  blew  a 
complete  hurricane  from  N.  W.,  and  blew  away  the  close- 
reefed  main-topsail.  The  mainmast  works  a  good  deal ;  and 
suppose  that  the  wedges  must  have  burnt  out  and  dropped 
down.  The  seams  and  butts  of  the  deck  are  all  opening  on 
the  larboard  side,  from  the  after  part  of  the  main  to  the  for- 
ward part  of  the  fore-rigging.  All  hands  employed  in  pour- 
ing down  water,  making  plugs,  and  boring  new  holes,  &c. 
Middle  part,  more  moderate ;  the  cabin  again  filled  with  gas, 
which  prevents  us  from  closing  the  doors  or  windows.     The 


THE  CREW  ARE  RESCUED  BY  THE  SHIP  ST.  JAMES.  269 

smoke  is  now  getting  the  upper  hand  of  us  again,  and  our 
prospect  seems  dismal  enough.  At  10,  A.  M.,  saw  a  sail 
to  windward,  bearing  down  towards  us  ;  hove  to,  and  hoisted 
our  colors  in  the  mizzen-rigging,  union  down.  Latter  part, 
light  N.  E.  breezes,  and  fine  weather.  Lat.  40°  13',  long. 
55°  40^ 

"  Wednesday/,  March  18.  Commences  with  pleasant 
breezes  from  N.  E.  and  clear  weather.  At  3,  P.  M.,  the 
ship  to  windward  spoke  us;  she  proved  to  be  the  St.  James, 
Captain  William  Sebor,  from  London  for  New  York.  She 
immediately  hove  to,  near  us,  and  got  out  her  boats ;  we  got 
out  our  small  boat,  and  commenced  putting  in  those  of  our 
effects  which  were  at  hand,  intending  to  leave  the  ship  to 
her  fate,  as  the  fire  had  now  got  complete  possession  of  her. 
Took  off  the  booby-hatch,  to  endeavor  to  save  some  of  the 
stores  and  sails  that  were  underneath  ;  but  were  obliged  to 
put  it  on  again,  as  the  heat  and  smoke  were  truly  suffocating. 
We  opened  the  forecastle,  and  endeavored  to  save  the  chests 
of  the  crew,  but  found  it  impossible  to  descend  into  the  fore- 
castle ;  hooked  up  three  of  the  chests  with  a  boat-hook,  and 
nearly  lost  one  of  the  men,  who  persisted  in  going  down. 
We  hauled  him  up  in  a  state  of  insanity.  At  6,  P.  M., 
Captain  Hallett  left  the  ship  in  the  last  boat ;  the  fire  then 
blazing  up  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  the  decks.  At  half  past 
6,  P.  M.,  all  hands  safe  on  board  the  good  ship  St.  James, 
where  we  were  received  and  treated  with  the  greatest  kind- 
ness and  humanity  by  Captain  Sebor  and  his  oflScers.  Some 
of  us  have  lost  all,  and  some  of  us  have  saved  part  of  our 
clothes.  At  8,  P.  M.,  the  ship  was  completely  in  flames. 
We  could  see  with  the  night-glass,  that  the  mainmast  had 
fallen  over  the  starboard  side,  and  the  mizzenmast  was  over 
the  stern ;  the  foremast  and  bowsprit  still  standing,  but  all 
on  fire,  we  being  about  six  miles  off.  At  10,  P.  M.,  the  fire 
suddenly  disappeared,  and  the  unfortunate  Burlington,  at 
that  time,  probably  sank." 

The  officers  and  crew  were  all  subsequently  landed  in  the 
city  of  New  York  in  safety. 
23* 


SHIPWRECK 

OF    THE 

PORTUGUESE    ADMIRAL, 

FERNANDO    DE    MENDOZA, 

ON    THE 

BASSAS    DE    JUIDA, 

IN    THE    INDIAN    OCEAN; 

With  the  affecting  Proceedings  of  Two  Brothers. 


T  a  very  early  period,  the  Portuguese 
acquired  rich  and  extensive  posses- 
sions in  the  East  Indies.  Fleets, 
laden  with  the  most  valuable  com- 
modities, periodically  sailed  to  the 
mother  country ;  and  the  advantages 
arising  from  a  lucrative  traffic  led 
to  the  foundation  of  new  and  im- 
portant colonies,  equally  productive  as  those  originally 
established.  But  this  perpetual  intercourse  was  not  ex- 
empt from  the  calamities  resulting  from  the  uncertainties 
of  the  sea,  of  which  the  following  narrative  may  serve  as 
an  example. 

Letters  to  the  viceroy  and  archbishop  of  Goa  arrived  in 
May,  1586,  communicating  the  loss  of  the  admiral's  ship, 
St.  Jago,  on  the  Bassas  de  India,  an  extensive  shoal  in  the 
Indian  Ocean. 

The  ship  sailed  from  Portugal  in  1585,  and  made  a  pros- 
perous voyage  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thence  to 
the  vicinity  of  Mosambique ;  when  the  crew,  thinking  they 
had  nothing  to  dread,  grew  regardless  of  danger.  Yet  the 
master,  and  others  having  rule,  ought  always  to  keep  the 
strictest  watch,  and  distrust  their  own  judgment ;  otherwise, 


THE    SHIP    STRIKES    ON    A    CORAL    ROCK.  271 

as  in  this  case,  fatal  accidents  may  ensue.  The  St.  Jago 
approached  near  the  latitude  of  22*^  30',  under  which  He 
the  Bassas  de  India,  between  the  island  of  Madagascar  and 
the  continent  of  Soffala,  shoals  consisting  chiefly  of  black, 
white,  and  green  coral,  which  are  extremely  dangerous ; 
and  pilots  would  do  well  to  shun  them.  The  ship  having 
got  between  Madagascar  and  Mosambique,  the  pilot  took 
an  observation,  by  which  he  judged  her  past  the  shoals,  and 
ordered  the  master  to  make  all  sail  for  Mosambique.  But 
there  were  various  seamen  on  board,  who,  as  well  as  the 
officers,  thinking  it  was  prudent  to  stand  off*  and  on  during 
the  night,  gave  their  counsel,  that  a  good  lookout  should  be 
kept ;  because  they  suspected  that  they  were  not  yet  past 
the  shoals.  However,  the  pilot,  resolving  both  to  maintain 
his  own  skill  and  to  show  his  power,  advanced  the  reverse, 
and  refused  to  listen  to  any  of  their  suggestions.  It  is 
necessary  to  observe,  that,  by  the  king's  express  command, 
the  pilots  of  Portuguese  East  Indiamen  are  invested  with  an 
absolute  control  of  the  navigation,  and  the  ship  is  commit- 
ted to  their  charge  alone.  But  the  later  regulations  of  other 
countries  dispense  with  having  an  officer  of  that  particular 
description  constantly  on  board. 

The  pilot,  thus  obstinately  adhering  to  his  own  opinion, 
ordered  all  sail  to  be  set ;  and  the  ship  continued  her  course 
until  midnight,  with  fair  weather,  but  no  moon,  when  she 
struck  on  a  sharp  coral  rock.  The  mainmast  immediately 
came  over,  and  with  the  beating  of  the  sea,  the  vessel  soon 
parted.  A  dreadful  cry  was  heard  throughout  the  wreck, 
and  great  lamentation  among  the  people.  There  were  at 
least  five  hundred  persons  on  board,  among  whom  were 
thirty  women  and  many  Jesuits  and  priests :  nothing  was  to 
be  seen,  but  every  one  bidding  another  farewell,  and  asking 
forgiveness  of  offences. 

The  admiral,  Fernando  de  Mendoza,  with  the  master, 
pilot,  and  ten  or  twelve  more,  got  into  the  pinnace,  and, 
drawing  their  swords,  declared,  that  no  more  should  enter, 
for  they  were  about  to  seek  some  part  of  the  shoal  fit  for 
building  a  boat  out  of  the  wreck.  But,  after  searching  in 
vain,  they  became  apprehensive  of  returning  to  the  ship, 
lest  the  pinnace  might  be  overladen,  and  themselves  drown- 
ed.    Therefore,  having  twelve  boxes  of  marmalade,  a  pipe 


272  SHIPWRECK    OF    ADMIRAL    MENDOZA. 

of  wine,  and  some  biscuit,  which  had  been  hastily  thrown 
into  the  boat,  they  recommended  themselves  to  God,  and 
rowed  for  the  land,  which  they  made  in  seventeen  days, 
after  suffering  severe  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue. 

Those  who  remained  in  the  wreck,  not  seeing  the  pin- 
nace return,  were  filled  with  despair,  until  the  vessel  parting 
between  the  decks,  exposed  the  long-boat,  which  was  falling 
out.  No  one  wished  to  give  directions  to  the  rest,  nor  was 
any  expedient  adopted  to  save  their  lives ;  but  all  sat  inac- 
tive, looking  at  each  other.  At  last  an  Italian,  Cypriano 
Grimaldi,  inspirited  them  to  exertion,  and  leaping  into  the 
boat,  began  to  clear  it  out.  Others  followed  his  example ; 
and  by  the  time  the  boat  was  got  to  sea,  there  were  at  least 
ninety  persons  on  board,  besides  many  trying  to  overtake  it 
by  swimming.  Several  women  were  among  them  ;  but  be- 
cause those  within  were  unwilling  to  endanger  the  boat, 
they  mercilessly  cut  off  the  fingers,  hands,  and  arms  of  those 
holding  by  the  sides ;  and  threw  many  overboard  who  were 
incapable  of  defending  themselves.  A  painful  scene  en- 
sued on  taking  leave  of  the  unfortunate  persons  abandoned 
in  the  ship,  and  the  adventurers  put  straight  out  to  sea. 
The  boat  was  not  only  overloaded  by  the  numbers  within, 
but  leaked  very  much,  and  the  adventurers  had  but  a  small 
store  of  provisions ;  whence,  after  rowing  several  days, 
they  resolved  to  choose  a  captain  from  their  number,  to 
whom  they  should  give  implicit  obedience.  A  gentleman 
born  in  India,  though  of  Portuguese  extraction,  was  selected, 
whose  first  act  of  authority  was  commanding  his  crew  to 
throw  some  of  the  rest  overboard,  being  such  as  were  weak- 
est, or  least  likely  to  be  useful.  Among  these  was  the  car- 
penter, who  had  so  lately  assisted  in  repairing  the  boat. 
When  he  knew  that  the  lot  had  fallen  to  him,  he  besought 
his  comrades  to  give  him  some  marmalade,  and  a  cup  of 
wine ;  which  having  received,  he  willingly  suffered  himself 
to  be  thrown  over,  and  was  drowned.  Another  of  the  vic- 
tims had  a  younger  brother  in  the  boat,  who  suddenly 
started  up,  and  prayed  the  captain  to  change  the  lot,  and 
let  him  die  in  his  brother's  place.  "  My  brother,'*  said  he, 
"  is  older  and  has  more  knowledge  of  the  world  than  I, 
therefore  more  fit  to  live,  and  better  able  to  assist  my  sisters 
and  friends  in  their  need  ;  and  I  had  rather  die  for  him, 


THE    YOUNGER    BROTHER    TAKEN    INTO    THE    BOAT.       273 


Affecting'  Situation  of  two  Brothers. 

than  survive  without  him."  The  elder  brother  being  thus 
released,  the  younger  one  was  thrown  into  the  sea.  He 
swam  full  six  hours,  following  the  boat ;  and  although  he 
was  repulsed  with  naked  swords,  he  laid  hold  of  it,  and  had 
his  hand  cut  half  asunder.  However,  he  Vv^ould  not  let  go, 
and  those  within  were  at  last  obliojed  to  take  him  in  aorain. 
Both  these  brothers  were  personally  known  to  the  author  of 
this  narrative. 

The  people  continued  twenty  days  at  sea  in  the  greatest 
distress ;  and  then  got  to  land,  where  they  found  the  admi- 
ral and  the  crew  of  the  other  boat. 

Those  who  were  abandoned  in  the  ship,  attempted  to 
make  rafts  of  deals  and  spars,  and  whatever  else  tl^ey  could 
fasten  together,  in  hopes  of  saving  their  lives  ;  but  of  all  who 
embarked  on  them,  only  two  came  safe  ashore. 

The  adventurers,  who  had  made  the  land,  escaped  one 
danger  but  to  meet  another  ;  for  no  sooner  had  they  reached 
the  coast,  than  they  were  attacked  by  the  CafFres,  robbed 
of  all  they  possessed,  and  scarcely  preserved  clothes  to 
cover  their  nakedness  ;  and  they  suffered  many  hardships 
besides.  In  time  they  succeeded  in  reaching  the  Portu- 
guese agent  for  Soffala  and   Mosambique,  who  gave  them 


274  SHIPWRECK    OF    ADMIRAL    MENDOZA. 

all  the  assistance  he  could  render,  and  sent  them  to  Mo- 
sambique,  from  whence  they  passed  to  India.  Some,  how- 
ever, died  in  the  interval;  so  that  the  whole  saved  from 
this  shipwreck  did  not  exceed  sixty  persons ;  for  nothing 
more  than  what  is  already  related  was  heard  of  the  ship. 
Thus  did  the  obstinacy  and  arrogance  of  the  pilot  cost 
so  many  lives ;  which  shows  the  impropriety  of  giving  one 
the  absolute  control,  and  the  privilege  of  rejecting  better 
counsel. 

This  same  pilot  was  committed  to  prison  on  his  arrival  in 
Portugal,  from  which  he  escaped  by  means  of  bribery.  But 
another  ship,  the  St.  Thomas,  the  best  of  the  whole  Indian 
fleet,  that  sailed  in  1 586,  was  committed  to  his  charge, 
though  not  without  the  imprecations  of  those  whom  his 
misconduct  had  rendered  widows  and  orphans.  The  vessel 
was  nearly  wrecked,  close  to  the  place  where  the  former 
was  cast  away.  But  the  approach  of  day  enabled  the 
mariners  to  discover  their  danger,  whereby  they  escaped. 
Afterwards,  in  the  voyage  home,  the  pilot  followed  a  new 
course,  standing  far  out  to  sea,  to  clear  the  banks  and  shoals 
on  the  African  coast ;  for,  as  he  affirmed,  it  was  the  want 
of  such  precaution  that  occasioned  the  loss  of  many  ships. 
Yet  the  truth  is,  that  the  disasters  arose  from  overloading 
the  vessels,  manning  them  with  unskilful  seamen,  and 
neglecting  a  due  survey  whether  they  were  fit  for  the 
voyage. 

The  Bassas  de  India,  or  more  correctly  Bassas  de  Juida, 
was  considered  a  very  dangerous  shoal,  and  long  remained 
the  dread  of  navigators.  But  more  recent  observations 
have  ascertained  that,  instead  of  a  shoal,  it  is  a  low  island, 
about  five  or  six  miles  in  length,  and  three  or  four  in  breadth, 
lying  in  22°  28''  south  latitude,  and  40°  51''  east  longitude. 
Many  trees  grow  upon  it,  and  the  western  beach  is  white 
and  sandy.  Rocks  and  breakers,  to  which  most  probably 
Huyghens  van  Linschoten  alludes,  are  said  to  encompass 
the  island  ;  and  thence  so  much  apprehension  has  been  ex- 
cited on  approaching  it.  In  1774  and  1804,  the  chief  bear- 
ings were  taken,  whereby  its  position  may  be  supposed  to 
be  nearly  ascertained. 


THE     LOSS 


SHIP    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE, 


CORAL  ROCKS  OF  FREDERICK'S  REEF; 


A  Narrative  of  the  Sojourn  and  Sufferings  of  her 
Company  on  that  low  Place,  during  the  Voyage  of 
the  Long-Boat  to  New  Holland  for  Assistance,  and 
the  Arrival  of  a  Vessel  for  their  Relief;  June, 
1835. 

OON  after  the  arrival  of  the  ship  Royal 
Charlotte,  of  London,  commanded  by 
Captain  Joseph  Corbyn,  at  Sidney, 
New  South  Wales,  she  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  colonial  government  to 
carry  detachments  of  his  majesty's 
20th,  41st,  and  46th  regiments  to  In- 
dia, in  order  to  join  their  respective 
corps  in  that  country. 
"  These  troops,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Henry  CHn 
ton,  of  the  20th,  embarked  on  the  afternoon  of  the  7th  of 
June ;  and  on  the  Sunday  following,  the  pilot  proceeded  on 
board,  and  got  the  ship  under  way,  with  a  fine  leading  breeze 
down  the  river.  The  sun  was  fast  sinking  in  the  western 
horizon  as  she  passed  between  Port  Jackson  Heads  ;  but 
the  appearance  of  the  weather  in  the  offing  was  gloomy, 
and  the  light  vapors,  as  they  scudded  rapidly  to  the  east- 
ward, and  the  hoarse  murmur  of  the  surf,  as  it  broke  on  the 
jutting  rocks,  seemed  to  presage  an  approaching  storm. 
The  light  sails  were  taken  in,  and  the  topsails,  as  the  breeze 


276  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

was  increasing,  single-reefed,  while  the  ship  left  the  land  at 
the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots  per  hour.  By  seven  o'clock, 
the  reflecting  light  of  the  piomontory,  which  at  intervals 
peered  over  the  increasing  waves,  was  all  that  was  visible  to 
us  of  the  land  of  New  South  Wales ;  this,  too,  was  soon 
lost  in  the  distance,  and  nought  but  the  white  foam  of  the 
swelling  waves,  and  the  dark  scud  over  our  heads,  could  be 
seen  from  the  ship. 

"  At  eight  bells  the  fore  and  main-topsails  were  double- 
reefed,  the  mizzen-topsails  and  main-courses  handed,  and 
every  other  necessary  preparation  made  for  a  stormy  night, 
which  we  now  had  every  reason  to  expect.  The  ship  ran 
before  the  wind,  under  this  snug  sail,  till  about  half  past  ten 
o'clock,  when  she  unfortunately  broached  to  in  a  squall,  and 
split  every  sail,  fore  and  aft,  then  set ;  the  gale  soon  increased 
to  a  perfect  hurricane,  and  blew  the  canvass  out  of  the  bolt- 
ropes  ;  while  the  shreds  that  remained  pendent  to  the  yards 
cracked  dreadfully  in  the  wind,  and  reminded  us  of  the  in- 
dependent firing  of  a  body  of  infantry.  The  ship  ran  at 
the  rate  of  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  rolled  tremendously ; 
both  quarter-boats  were  washed  away  from  the  davits,  and 
several  other  articles  were  washed  overboard,  which  it  was 
impossible  to  prevent.  Heavy  showers  of  rain  at  intervals, 
accompanied  by  squalls  of  wind,  added  considerably  to  the 
horrors  of  the  night,  which  was  uncommonly  dark  and  cold. 
About  half  past  twelve  o'clock,  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
witnessing  a  phenomenon  which  has  frequently  attracted 
the  attention  of  mariners,  in  a  heavy  squall  of  wind  and 
rain  :  a  luminous  appearance,  apparently  about  the  size  of  a 
forty-two  pound  sliot,  attached  itself  to  the  main-topmast- 
head,  where  it  remained  about  half  an  hour,  when  it  lost  its 
globular  appearance,  and  seemed  to  melt  into  a  stream  of 
liquid  fire,  whicli,  gradually  descending  the  mast,  ran  out  on 
the  lee  yard-arm,  and  in  a  few  minutes  totally  disappeared. 
These  phenomena,  though  common  in  southern  latitudes  in 
stormy  weather,  are  considered  by  superstitious  seamen  as 
sure  indications  of  approaching  evil ;  and  the  fate  of  the 
Royal  Charlotte  was  foretold  with  that  serious  positiveness 
that  admits  of  no  contradiction,  and  completely  evinces  the 
readiness  of  the  ignorant  to  attach  importance  to  whatever 
is  wonderful  or  strange. 


THE    SHIP    STRIKES    THE    REEF.  277 

"The  gale  continued  with  unabating  violence  till  the 
morning  of  the  14th,  when  it  gradually  ceased  ;  and  a  new 
suit  of  canvass  was  bent  during  the  day.  The  sea  yet  ran 
very  high,  and  as  the  wind  continued  to  blow  in  a  direction 
favorable  to  the  course  of  the  ship,  she  made  so  much  prog- 
ress, that  on  Sunday,  the  19th,  immediately  after  divine 
service,  we  made  Cato's  Reef.  At  daylight  in  the  morning, 
the  breeze  again  increased  ;  the  topgallantsails  were  handed, 
and  a  single  reef  taken  in  each  topsail,  which  were  double- 
reefed  in  the  afternoon.  While  running  under  this  sail,  at 
the  rate  of  nine  knots,  she  struck,  at  a  quarter  before  ten 
o'clock,  on  a  reef  of  rocks  with  great  violence.  The  sails 
were  immediately  thrown  aback,  but  without  effect;  she 
continued  to  harden  on,  and  at  length  fell  down  on  her 
larboard  beam  ends,  still  continuing  to  strike  violently,  while 
the  water  rushed  rapidly  into  her  hold. 

"  All  hands  were  immediately  ordered  to  the  pumps  ;  but 
the  depth  of  water  in  the  hold  increased  in  spite  of  every 
effort.  The  mizzenmast  was  cut  away  for  the  purpose  of 
lightening  the  ship,  as  a  faint  hope  was  entertained  that 
she  might  beat  over  the  reef. 

^'  On  all  sides  the  cry  arose  of  '  Loosen  the  boats !  set 
them  afloat!'  This,  however,  was  easier  said  than  done, 
since  all  joined  in  the  exclamation,  but  no  one  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  work,  and  the  vessel  heeled  so  violently  from 
side  to  side,  that  it  was  well  nigh  impossible  to  set  foot 
firmly  upon  her. 

**'Cut  away  the  mainmast!  down  with  the  foremast! 
stand  clear  the  masts  ! '  was  often  shouted.  Every  one  got 
out  of  the  way  as  fast  as  he  could,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
hazard  of  the  falling  timbers  ;  and  a  dreadful  silence  of 
some  minutes'  duration  ensued,  during  which  the  work  was 
accomplished  with  hatchets  and  similar  instruments,  until  the 
masts  gave  away,  and  fell,  with  all  their  tackling,  into  the 
foaminsT  ocean. 


"  Her  ponderous  bulk  the  dire  concussion  feels, 
And  o'er  upheaving  surges  wounded  reels  ; 
Again  she  plunges  !  hark  I  a  second  shock 
Bilges  the  splitting  vessel  on  the  rock." 

24 


2^78  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

"  Vivid  flashes  of  lightning,  that  at  times  illuminated  the 
whole  horizon,  were  succeeded  by  loud  peals  of  thunder; 
while  the  roaring  of  the  surf,  the  crashing  of  the  ship  on 
the  rocks,  and  the  dismal  cries  of  the  women  and  children, 
who  crowded  on  deck,  while  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  added 
to  the  uncertainty  of  the  fate  that  awaited  us,  can  only  be 
conceived  by  those  who  have  been  in  the  Hke  unfortunate 
predicament.  Those  who,  after  witnessing  the  vessel  carry- 
ing them  over  the  foaming  billows  in  all  the  pride  of  her 
glory  and  strength,  and  while  the  crew  were  fearless  of 
danger,  and  exulting  in  their  fancied  security,  have  in  a 
moment  found  themselves  dashed  against  a  fatal  shoal  or 
rock,  and  the  ship,  which  they  fondly  deemed  was  bearing 
them  to  fame,  fortune,  or  the  shores  of  a  long-lost  home, 
become  a  dismal  wreck,  with  no  prospect  but  instant  death 
before  them,  —  those  only  can  conceive  the  dread  tumult  of 
our  minds  in  these  awful  moments  of  suspense,  when  the 
portals  of  eternity  seemed  open  to  receive  us. 

*'  Lieutenant  Clinton,  Dr.  Nisbett,  Captain  Dick,  and  the 
chief  officers  of  the  ship,  were  seen  every  where  on  deck, 
encouraging  the  men  to  direct  all  their  efforts  to  the  pumps, 
as  the  only  means  of  escape ;  while  Captain  Corby n  re- 
mained on  the  poop,  watching  every  possible  chance  of 
relieving  his  ship,  and  issuing  the  necessary  orders  for  her 
preservation,  in  that  calm,  collected  manner,  which  bespeaks 
a  mind  superior  to  danger  and  death,  and  is  a  distinguished 
trait  in  the  character  of  a  British  seaman. 

"  The  surf  beat  over  her  bows  in  a  dreadful  manner,  and 
frequently  knocked  the  men  away  from  the  pumps,  which 
were  wrought  with  little  intermission  as  long  as  any  hopes 
remained  of  keeping  her  free ;  but  when  it  was  found  that 
the  water  increased  in  spite  of 'all  our  efforts,  and  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the  ship  to  beat  over  the  reef,  or  be 
Otherwise  got  off,  the  men,  who  were  now  nearly  all  ex- 
hausted, were  ordered  to  desist.  Each  sought  for  himself  a 
resting-place,  and  like  the  mariners  in  St.  Paul's  ship,  when 
they  threw  the  anchors  over  the  stern,  all  earnestly  wished 
for  the  day. 

"Day  at  length  dawned,  and  the  increasing  light  soon 


TWO    OF    THE    ship's    COMPANY    REACH    THE    BANK.    279 

showed  us  the  horrors  of  our  situation  ;  various  conjectures 
had  been  made  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  night  relative 
to  her  position,  but  none  had  approached  the  truth  ;  she  lay 
on  her  larboard  beam  ends,  with  her  head  nearly  N.  N.  E., 
about  her  own  length  from  the  edge  of  the  reef,  which  ap- 
peared from  the  ship  to  be  nearly  perpendicular,  and  of  great 
height.  The  breakers,  as  they  rolled  in  unremitting  suc- 
cession over  the  precipice,  broke  close  to  the  ship's  fore- 
foot, and  covered  her  as  far  as  the  waist,  while  we  expected 
every  moment  that  the  bows  would  be  stove  in,  and  that  she 
would  go  to  pieces. 

"  The  reef,  as  nearly  as  we  could  judge  by  the  tremendous 
surf,  formed  a  sort  of  crescent,  or  rather  horseshoe,  and 
swept  in  a  circular  line  to  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  ship.  As  the  tide  decreased,  a  number  of 
shoals  and  rocks  appeared  within  the  surf;  and  about  a 
mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  ship  was  a  sand-bank,  rather 
higher  than  the  other  shoals,  and  over  which  the  tide  ap- 
parently did  not  rise.  About  eleven  o'clock,  while  the 
hands  were  engaged  in  clearing  the  decks,  an  emeu,  which 
Captain  Corbyn  had  brought  from  Sidney,  lay  in  the  way 
and  was  thrown  overboard ;  the  poor  bird,  in  clearing  the 
surf,  made  for  the  bank,  sometimes  walking  over  the  tops 
of  detached  rocks,  and  at  other  times,  when  in  deep  water, 
aided  by  a  current  which  set  him  towards  the  shoal.  His 
motions  were  watched  from  the  ship,  and  confirmed  the 
idea  that  it  would  be  practicable  for  a  person  to  wade 
ashore  at  low  water.  Privates  Hugh  Murnane,  of  the  20th, 
and  James  Murphy,  of  the  41st,  volunteered  to  go  to  the 
bank,  and  on  receiving  permission,  lowered  themselves  on 
to  the  wreck  of  the  foremast,  which  still  remained  along- 
side, and  watching  an  opportunity,  when  the  surf  rolled  in, 
committed  themselves  to  its  fury,  with  the  good  wishes  of 
all  on  board  for  their  success  and  safe  return.  They  were 
thrown  a  considerable  distance  from  the  ship  towards  the 
bank,  but  the  receding  wave,  unwilling  to  part  with  its  prey, 
brought  them  as  rapidly  back;  no  human  strength  could 
cope  with  its  violence,  or  stem  the  back  draught  that 
threatened  to  convey  them  out  to  sea ;  but  they  had  scarcely 
passed  the  ship  when  they  were  met  by  another  mountain 
wave,  and  thrown  so  far  up  on  the  bank  that  they  were 


280  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

able  to  gain  and  preserve  their  footing  on  the  rocks,  before 
it  returned ;  after  breathing  a  few  minutes,  they  again  set 
out,  and,  partly  by  swimming,  and  partly  by  wading,  ia 
about  half  an  hour  they  reached  the  bank. 

"  In  the  interim,  it  was  the  opinion  of  every  one  on  board 
that  the  ship  would  go  to  pieces  in  a  few  tides.  The  car- 
penters had  constructed  a  sort  of  small  raft,  or  catamaran, 
for  the  purpose  of  conveying  to  the  bank  a  few  of  those  arti- 
cles of  provisions,  &-c.,  which  would  be  most  wanted,  in  the 
event  of  .our  being  obliged  to  abandon  the  ship  ;  but  this 
piece  of  mechanism  proved  unserviceable,  as  it  was  instantly 
overturned  on  being  lowered  into  the  surf,  and  every  thing 
on  board  lost.  The  boatswain  of  the  ship,  who  had  gone 
overboard  to  superintend  the  management  of  the  catamaran, 
was  knocked  away  from  alongside  by  the  surf,  and  anxious 
to  ascertain  whetlier  the  bank  would  afford  us  a  temporary 
shelter,  made  the  best  of  his  way  ashore,  and  showed  us  the 
extent  of  the  bank,  by  walking  from  end  to  end  and  across 
it,  with  a  handkerchief  tied  to  a  stick,  which  he  picked  up ; 
he  then  returned  on  board  with  the  two  soldiers,  and  re- 
ported that  the  tide  did  not  overflow  the  bank,  as  he  had 
observed  a  large  junk  of  timber,  the  remains  of  a  ship's 
mast,  on  the  top  of  the  bank,  which  appeared,  from  its  dry 
and  decayed  state,  to  have  lain  a  considerable  time. 


^'In  consequence  of  the  favorable  report  made  by  the 
boatswain,  it  was  thought  expedient  to  allow  as  many  of 
the  troops  to  leave  the  ship  that  afternoon  as  could  be 
spared  from  assisting  the  seamen  in  getting  provisions,  &c., 
out  of  the  hold.  About  twenty  men,  and  a  few  women 
and  children,  accordingly  took  possession  of  the  bank, 
where  they  busied  themselves  in  making  preparations  for 
passing  the  night.  They  succeeded  in  lighting  a  fire  to 
cook  the  small  quantity  of  provisions  which  the  women  had 


MRS.    m'dONNEl's    infant    PERISHES.  5J81 

b^n  provident  enough  to  carry  with  them ;  and  while  this 
operation  was  going  forward,  the  men  drew  round  the  fire 
and  canvassed  the  events  of  the  preceding  night,  or  calcu- 
lated the  probable  chances  of  escape  from  their  miserable 
situation. 

"  As  this  is  the  season  of  winter  in  these  latitudes,  the 
nights  are  consequently  long ;  and  though  the  heat  in  the 
day  is  much  the  same  as  in  England  in  the  month  of  July 
or  August,  the  air  after  sunset  becomes  extremely  cold  ;  and 
when  the  fire  on  the  bank  died  away,  for  want  of  a  supply 
of  fuel,  the  people  found  themselves  very  uncomfortably 
situated :  they  had  no  covering  but  the  gloomy  canopy  of 
the  heavens ;  a  long  and  moonless  night  was  fast  approach- 
ing, and  the  flood  tide  rapidly  advancing  on  the  bank,  while 
they  were  uncertain  whether  or  not  it  would  be  overflowed, 
and  every  soul  swept  into  the  deep.  For  the  better  security 
of  the  women  and  children,  the  men  dug  holes  in  the  shingle, 
and  raised  ridges  of  sand  and  stones  on  their  weather  sides, 
to  defend  them  from  the  inclemency  of  the  night  air  which 
was  now  getting  damp  and  chill. 

"  About  half-flood,  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  came  on,  and 
continued  till  nearly  half  ebb ;  at  high  water  the  tide  was 
almost  level  with  the  top  of  the  bank,  and  the  surf  beat 
entirely  over  it,  so  that  the  adventurers  were  for  nearly  four 
hours  almost  constantly  up  to  the  middle  in  water ;  they 
stood  in  this  wretched  manner  holding  each  other's  hands, 
the  poor  women  clinging  to  their  husbands,  and  the  chil^ 
dren  to  them,  till  the  tide  beoran  to  ebb. 

"  The  wife  of  Sergeant  M'Donnel,  of  the  20th,  had  been 
delivered  of  a  fine  child  only  four  nights  before  the  ship  was 
cast  away,  and  on  this  night  almost  perished  with  the  cold 
and  anxiety ;  but  youth,  and  a  good  constitution,  prevailed 
against  the  complicated  evils  that  assailed  her,  and  enabled 
her  to  bear  up  against  them,  with  a  degree  seldom  equalled 
in  woman ;  but  her  infant  child  fell  a  victim  to  the  inclem- 
ency of  the  weather,  and  left  its  sorrowing  and  unfortunate 
mother,  childless  and  nearly  unprotected,  on  the  rough  and 
inhospitable  rocks  of  Frederick's  Reef. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  some  more  of  the  soldiers  went 
ashore,  and  reported  the  ship  in  such  a  crazy  state  that  she 
could  not  hold  together  much  longer  :  this  determined  those 
24* 


282  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

on  the  bank  to  remain,  and  as  the  day  tide  rose  only  about 
half  way  up,  they  preferred  their  chance  on  the  shoal  to 
that  of  being  crushed  to  pieces  in  the  ship  when  she  should 
part.  The  number  on  the  bank  was  increased  by  volun- 
teers, in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  the  men  set  about 
erecting  a  tent  for  the  women  and  children,  which  they 
effected  by  placing  pieces  of  timber  and  fragments  of  cedar 
planks  —  the  remains  of  the  catamaran  which  had  drifted 
on  shore  —  upright  in  the  sand,  covered  with  a  piece  of  sail- 
cloth, which  was  brought  from  the  wreck  for  the  purpose ; 
but  this  hurricane-house,  though  it  sheltered  them  from  the 
air,  admitted  the  water,  and  they  were  obliged  to  abandon 
it  at  high  water  for  fear  the  surf  would  sweep  it  away.  The 
tide,  as  on  the  preceding  night,  flowed  over  the  bank,  de- 
stroyed the  foundation  of  the  tent,  and  swept  away  most  of 
the  provisions  and  necessaries  brought  ashore.  A  few  of 
the  troops  yet  remained  on  board,  who  were  employed  in 
hoisting  provisions  and  water  out  of  the  hold,  while  those 
on  the  bank  were  told  off  in  working  parties  and  relieved 
each  other.  Conveying  them  on  shore  was  no  easy  task,  as 
it  was  extremely  dangerous  to  disengage  them  from  the  surf 
alongside,  and  difficult  to  roll  them  over  the  rocks  to  the 
bank,  so  that  a  single  water-cask  sometimes  required  the 
united  efforts  of  eight  or  ten  men ;  but  when  they  had  made 
a  few  trips  on  board,  and  became  acquainted  with  the  rough- 
ness of  the  way,  the  casks  were  lowered  over  the  side  at 
about  half  ebb,  and  hauled  out  of  the  surf  with  ropes,  so 
that  in  many  places  there  was  water  enough  to  float  them, 
or  at  least  to  facilitate  the  operation  of  rolling. 

"  As  it  was  now  become  apparent  that  the  only  hope  of 
our  being  rescued  from  our  deplorable  situation,  rested  on 
the  possibility  of  our  being  able  to  make  our  distress  known, 
it  was  determined  by  the  captain  to  fit  out  the  long-boat,  the 
only  one  now  remaining,  and  endeavor  to  make  some  port 
on  the  coast  of  New  Holland,  where  it  was  possible  relief 
might  be  found,  should  she  meet  no  vessel  on  the  route. 
She  was  accordingly  overhauled,  and  when  the  necessary 
preparations  were  completed,  eight  seamen  and  four  soldiers 
were  selected  to  man  her,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Mr.  Parks,  chief  officer  of  the  ship,  and  Dr.  Nisbett,  who 
volunteered  his  services  for  this  perilous  undertaking,  and 


THE  LONG  BOAT  DEPARTS  FOR  NEW  HOLLAND.    283 

whom  we  found  particularly  active  and  useful  on  many  try- 
ing occasions. 

*'  On  Thursday,  the  23d,  the  launch  was  parbuckled  over 
the  side,  having  Mr.  Parks  and  two  seamen  on  board ; 
Mr.  Parks  having  previously  received  instructions  in  writing 
from  Captain  Corbyn,  drawn  up  with  every  precision,  re- 
quiring him  to  proceed  to  Moreton  Bay,  and  charter  a  ship 
for  the  relief  of  the  Charlotte's  passengers  and  crew,  or,  in 
the  event  of  not  being  able  to  succeed  in  that  port,  to  try 
every  other  he  could  make. 

"  Dr.  Nisbett  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  afterwards 
got  into  her,  when  she  dropped  astern.  On  leaving  the 
ship,  they  endeavored  to  force  her  through  the  surf;  but 
after  a  fruitless  effort  of  nearly  two  hours,  they  were  obliged 
to  bear  away  and  search  for  a  passage  farther  to  the  west- 
ward, which  they  soon  found ;  and  we  had  the  satisfaction 
to  see  them  outside  of  the  breakers,  with  a  fine  breeze  and 
all  sail  set. 

"  A  number  of  cedar  planks  and  other  spars  had,  by  this 
time,  been  drawn  ashore  by  the  working  parties,  a  few  of 
which  were  driven  end  down  in  the.  sand,  and  a  platform 
laid  about  five  feet  from  the  top  of  the  bank,  on  which  a 
tent  was  erected  for  the  married  people,  a  small  space  of 
which  was  screened  off  at  the  north  end,  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  Lieutenant  Clinton  and  his  family,  who  had  signi- 
fied their  intention  of  joining  those  on  the  bank  next  day. 
Accordingly,  at  low  water,  that  officer,  with  his  lady  and 
child,  accompanied  by  Miss  Tyghe,  Mrs.  Chnton's  sister, 
reached  the  bank  and  took  possession  of  their  crazy  abode* 
All  the  empty  water-casks  were  procured  from  the  ship,  and 
a  kind  of  breakwater  erected  on  the  most  exposed  side  of 
the  tent,  by  sinking  them  end  down  in  the  sand,  and  filhng 
them  with  shingle,  which  was  brought  from  the  lower  part 
of  the  shoal,  in  a  kind  of  rude  handbarrow,  constructed  for 
that  purpose,  by  nailing  two  spars  horizontally  on  the  sides 
of  an  old  box.  These  casks  were  again  fenced  wdth  a 
double  row  of  billet-wood,  driven  deep  in  the  sand,  and  an 
embankment  of  shingle  raised  outside,  for  the  purpose  of 
breaking  the  violence  of  the  surf  before  it  reached  our  inner 
fortifications.  These  precautions  we  considered  would  con- 
tribute greatly  to  our  protection,  at  the  return  of  the  springs^ 


S84  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

and  we  ceased  to  regard  their  approach  with  that  degree  of 
terror  we  felt  only  a  few  days  before.  The  carpenter  with 
his  crew  had  erected  a  stage,  on  which  they  were  busily 
employed  in  building  a  flat-bottomed  boat  as  a  dernier  resort, 
in  the  event  of  no  vessel  coming  to  our  relief;  and,  although 
our  situation  was  desperate,  we  were  not  entirely  without 
hope. 

"  Hitherto  no  lives  had  been  lost ;  but  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  27th,  while  Corporal  John  Hugiies  and  Thomas  Neal, 
of  the  41st,  were  engaged  in  taking  a  cask  of  water  ashore, 
they  kept  too  far  to  the  eastward,  and  were  drawn  into  a 
current,  which  sets  rapidly  to  the  northward  of  the  bank, 
and  swept  out  to  sea.  Neal,  on  perceiving  his  danger, 
quitted  his  charge,  and  with  considerable  difficulty  reached 
the  shore  ;  but  poor  Hughes,  after  struggling  near  an  hour, 
sank  to  rise  no  more.  After  this  melancholy  event,  nothing 
of  moment  occurred  till  the  evening  of  the  1st  of  July, 
when,  about  seven  o'clock,  one  of  the  sentinels  called  out, 
*  A  light !  a  light ! '  Every  one  started  up  and  gazed  in 
the  given  direction,  which  was  nearly  due  west,  and  saw,  to 
their  inexpressible  satisfaction,  the  light,  apparently  of  a 
vessel  within  the  reef;  a  loud  cheering  instantly  commenced, 
and  a  piece  of  junk  was  lighted,  to  guide  our  supposed  de- 
liverers to  the  bank.  But,  alas  !  we  were  doomed  to  expe- 
rience, in  the  most  acute  manner,  that  sickness  of  the  heart 
which  ariseth  from  hope  deferred,  as  the  light  proved  only 
to  be  the  evening  star  setting,  which,  as  the  night  was  hazy, 
loomed  large  as  it  approached  the  horizon,  and  had  every 
appearance  of  a  signal  light  on  board  of  a  ship. 

"  Most  of  the  provisions  and  water  were  now  got  ashore, 
besides  a  great  number  of  cedar  planks,  &.C.,  for  the  boat ; 
so  that,  by  the  tenth  of  July,  little  more  remained  in  the 
wreck  than  was  sufficient  for  the  subsistence  of  those  who 
remained  on  board,  viz.,  Captain  Corbyn,  Captain  Dick  and 
lady,  with  her  infant  child,  Mr.  Scott,  second  officer  of  the 
Charlotte,  and  a  few  boys ;  the  boatswain  and  a  few  of  the 
men  having  been  sent  ashore  to  alter  the  sails  for  the  boat, 
which  it  was  expected  would  soon  be  ready  for  launching. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  a  cask  of  bread,  that  had 
been  buried  in  the  sliingle,  was  raised  and  broached,  but 
was  found  completely  spoiled  with  salt  water ;  and  on  this 


THE    ARRIVAL.    OF    A    BRIG    TO    THEIR    RELIEF.  287 

afternoon  the  surf  ran  very  high,  and  beat  so  heavy  on  the 
ship  that  she  frequently  heeled  over,  as  though  she  would 
upset ;  and  we  were  in  considerable  pain  for  those  on  board, 
although  we  were  in  a  desperate  situation  ourselves,  the 
waves  running  high  over  the  bank,  and  threatening  destruc- 
tion to  our  breakwaters  and  stages.  Notwithstanding  the 
exertions  made  to  save  our  provisions,  a  tierce  of  beef,  and 
one  of  pork,  and  a  cask  of  water,  were  swept  away,  and 
several  other  articles  of  private  property. 

"  In  this  way  we  continued,  till,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
28th  of  July,  about  two  o'clock,  a  heavy  squall  of  wind  and 
rain  came  on,  and  continued  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  As 
it  cleared  away,  we  observed  the  people  on  the  wreck,  crowd- 
ing to  the  weather  side,  waving  their  hats,  &c.,  and  other- 
wise signifying  that  something  unexpected  either  had  or  was 
about  to  take  place ;  and  some  of  the  people  who  had 
ascended  the  stage  sung  out,  'A  sail !  a  sail ! '  We  had 
so  often  been  deceived  by  fallacious  appearances,  that  we 
were  now  become  slow  of  belief,  and  it  was  not  till  the  en- 
sign was  reversed  on  board  that  we  would  believe  there  was 
a  sail  in  sight ;  in  about  half  an  hour,  however,  we  made  out 
a  sail,  steering  down  on  the  reef.  It  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  joy  that  took  possession  of  all  hands.  The  vessel 
proved  to  be  a  brig,  and  ran  so  near  the  edge  of  the  reef 
that  the  people  on  the  wreck  could  plainly  distinguish  a 
whale-boat  on  the  quarter,  and  her  crew  on  the  rigging 
gazing  at  the  wreck.  She  ran  a  few  miles  to  the  westward, 
and  hove  round,  and  we  could  see  her  standing  off  and  on, 
as  long  as  day  lasted.  We  kept  up  a  blazing  fire  at  night, 
and  at  daybreak  we  again  saw  her  hove  to  a  great  way  to 
the  eastward  ;  she  shortly  made  sail  and  steered  for  us,  but 
the  surf  ran  so  high  that  she  could  not  send  a  boat  ashore ; 
we  were  certain  she  had  come  to  our  relief,  yet  we  felt 
mortified  and  depressed,  that  we  could  hold  no  communi- 
cation with  our  dehverers. 

"  We  had  frequently  seen  whales,  and  other  large  fish, 
playing  within  the  reef  to  the  northward  of  our  settlement, 
and  as  we  could  see  no  breakers  in  that  direction,  we  were 
confident  there  existed  a  passage  in  that  direction  for  a  ves- 
sel ;  but  we  had  no  means  of  making  this  known  on  board 
the  brig.     We  watched  her  motions  all  day,  and  at  night 


288  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    ROYAL    CHARLOTTE. 

again  lighted  our  fire  as  a  beacon  light  to  her ;  but  about 
nine  o'clock  the  tide  rose  over  th'e  bank  and  swept  it  away ; 
and,  in  fact,  every  thing  that  was  not  buried  in  the  sand  or 
otherwise  secured.  The  carpenter's  saw-pit  and  tool-chest 
were  washed  away  about  ten  o'clock,  and  it  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  we  saved  our  lives.  The  situation  of 
the  ladies,  and  the  rest  of  the  women  in  the  tent,  was 
dreadful  in  the  extreme,  as  the  surf  shook  the  frail  beams 
of  their  crazy  apartment  with  a  violence  that  threatened  in- 
stant destruction,  and,  as  it  broke  under  their  feet,  dashed 
through  the  tent  and  wet  them  to  the  skin.  Four  hours 
of  dreadful  suspense  rolled  heavily  away,  and  the  tide  began 
to  leave  us ;  night,  too,  wore  away,  and  the  dawn  surprised 
us  all  anxiously  looking  out  for  the  brig,  which  we  could  no 
where  see  in  the  direction  of  yesterday ;  but  on  looking  to 
the  northward  she  was  seen  inside  of  the  reef,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  four  miles  from  the  bank,  steering  towards 
us ;  she  soon  came  to,  and  in  a  little  time  a  whale-boat, 
having  on  board  Mr.  Parks,  Dr.  Nesbitt,  and  the  master  of 
the  brig,  pulled  to  the  bank.  We  received  them  with  three 
cheers,  which  they  returned  as  they  leapt  ashore. 

"  After  mutual  congratulations  and  inquiries  had  passed 
between  these  gentlemen  and  Mr.  Clinton,  they  made  a  short 
visit  to  the  ladies'  tent,  and  set  out  for  the  wreck.  When 
they  returned  on  board  the  brig,  the  women  and  sick  men 
accompanied  them,  while  the  rest  of  the  men  were  employed 
in  assisting  the  carpenters  in  laying  the  skids  for  launching 
the  boat,  which  was  done  as  soon  as  there  was  water  enough 
to  receive  her,  and  she  was  moved  to  a  rock  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  fathoms  from  the  bank ;  Mr.  C,  the  carpenters,  and 
several  men,  remaining  on  board. 

"About  seven  o'clock,  the  surf  began  to  beat  over  the 
bank,  and  by  nine  the  provision  casks  were  all  washed  up ; 
we  divided  ourselves  amongst  them,  and  when  the  awful 
rush  of  the  remorseless  breakers  amongst  our  breakwaters 
announced  the  moment  of  danger,  we  closed  in  and  clung 
to  the  casks  till  the  receding  wave  left  them  on  the  bank. 
Towards  high  water,  every  surf  buried  us  for  a  few  seconds, 
and  we  could  scarcely  regain  our  breath,  when  it  left  us,  be- 
fore it  was  over  us  again. 

"  The  tent  that  had  been  abandoned  by  the  women  in 


"spirited  conduct  of   sergeant  m'donnel.        289 

the  forenoon  was  washed  away,  with  all  the  other  stages. 
By  eleven  o'clock  nothing  remained  but  a  kw  casks  of 
water,  which  were  knocked  about  with  great  violence  ;  and 
between  two  of  which  a  young  man  belonging  to  .the  sliip 
had  his  right  knee  so  dreadfully  jammed  as  to  occasion  his 
death  a  few  days  after  his  arrival  at  Sidney. 

"  The  moon  shone  very  bright,  and  Lieutenant  Clinton, 
who  had  watched  our  situation  from  the  boat  with  the  great- 
est anxiety,  ordered  her  to  be  steered  towards  us,  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  us  on  board:  this,  owing  to  the  cur- 
rent, was  found  impracticable,  and  we  must  have  perished, 
had  not  Sergeant  M'Donnel  leapt  out  of  the  boat  and  swam 
to  us  with  the  end  of  a  small  line,  with  which  we  endeav- 
ored to  haul  the  boat  to  us ;  but  when  she  came  broadside 
to  the  current,  all  our  strength  was  in  vain.  One  of  the 
boat's  crew,  at  this  critical  moment,  sent  us  the  end  of  a 
hawse  by  the  line,  on  which  we  hung  when  the  surf  knocked 
us  off  our  feet.  As  the  tide  began  to  ebb,  the  boat's  moor- 
ings gave  way,  and  she  must  have  gone  among  the  breakers, 
had  we  not  held  her  on  by  the  hawser,  so  providentially  sent 
us,  till  she  grounded  on  the  bank. 

^'On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  August,  every  thing  that 
could  be  brought  from  the  wreck  was  sent  on  board  the  brig; 
and  all  the  people  embarked  in  the  course  of  the  day.  She 
got  under  weigh  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  cleared  the 
reef  as  night  set  in  ;  and,  after  a  favorable  passage  of  ten 
days,  landed  us  in  Sidney,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  ac- 
quainted with  our  misfortunes." 


25 


THE    LOSS 


BARQUE    MEDUSA, 

AN  ENGLISH   WEST  INDIAMAN, 

Wliich  was  driven  on  the  Rocks  of  the  Colorados 
Reef,  off  the  Island  of  Cuha;  Augnst,  1836. 


N  intelligent  merchant  at  the  Havana 
wrote  the  following  account  of  this 
melancholy  event,  and  forwarded  it  to 
a  friend  in  England  :  — 

"  During  my  long  residence  in  this 
city,  I  scarcely,  if  ever,  remember  a 
shipwreck  more  disastrous  and  afflict- 
ing in  its  consequences  than  one  which  has  occurred,  a 
few  days  previous  to  my  writing,  upon  our  coast,  about 
fifteen  leagues  to  the  eastward,  and  which  has  caused  a 
very  considerable  and  painful  sensation  here,  as  I  have 
no  doubt  it  has  at  several  ports  at  the  west  end  of  the 
Island  of  Jamaica.  In  consequence  of  some  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  ill-fated  vessel  being  at  present  in  our  city, 
with  whom  I  have  conversed  respecting  the  melancholy 
catastrophe,  I  am  enabled  to  state  particulars  that  may  be 
relied  on. 

"It  appears  that  on  the  24th  of  August,  the  Medusa, 
a  fine  barque  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  tons'  burden, 
commanded  by  Captain  James  O'Neil,  sailed  from  Port 
Morant,  at  the  east  side  of  Jamaica,  for  Kinsale,  in  Ire- 
land ;  her  cargo  consisted  of  rum,  sugar,  indigo,  pimento, 
and  cedar ;  she  embarked  eleven  cabin  and  eight  steerage 
passengers,  the  former  of  whom  were  families  of  great 
respectability ;  she  was  manned  with  a  crew  of  sixteen 
good  hands,  independent  of  the  captain  and  mates.  It 
was  first  the  intention  of  Captain  O'Neil  to  go  home  by 


THE    ISLE    OF    PINES    DISCOVERED    AT    MIDNIGHT.       291 

the  windward  passage,  between  St.  Domingo  and  Marga- 
rita, and  for  several  days  the  Medusa  was  beating  to 
windward  to  effect  her  purpose  ;  but  owing  to  strong 
north-east  gales,  which  prevail  in  these  latitudes  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  he  was  unable  to  proceed  ;  and  when 
distant  about  six  leagues  from  Cape  Tiberon,  the  western- 
most point  of  St.  Domingo,  he  bore  up,  and  resolved  to 
go  the  leeward  passage  through  the  Gulf  of  Florida,  and 
by  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  In  the  vessel's  passage 
to  the  eastward  of  Jamaica,  she  encountered  very  tre- 
mendous weather,  and  the  captain  endeavored  either  to 
make  Port  Royal  or  Bluefields,  but  was  unable. 

"On  the    night  of  the   1st  of   September,  the    Medusa 
passed  a  large  merchant  vessel  totally  dismasted ;  but,  from 
the   heavy  sea  that  was   running   at  the  time,  they  were 
unable  to  speak  each  other.     The  distressed  vessel  fired 
signals  of  distress.     On   the   morning  of  the   2d  of  Sep- 
tember,  no  traces  of  her  were   to  be   seen  from  the  top- 
gallantmast-heads   of  the   Medusa,   which   was    still    going 
before   the   wind   at  thirteen    knots,  under  a  close-reefed 
foresail  and  mizzen-staysail.     At  this  time,  Montego  Bay 
was  to  leeward  considerably,  and  before  darkness  on   the 
2d,  the  land  of  the  Grand  Caymans  was  discerned  through 
the  thick  haze.     At  this  time,  the  weather  had  increased 
to  a  hurricane,  and   the   Medusa   lay  to  with    her   head 
to  the  wind,   under  two   storm-trysails,   with    her  topgal- 
lantmasts  struck.      During  the  night  of  the  2d,  the  most 
intense   anxiety   and    fearful    apprehensions    prevailed   on 
board.      Captain   O'Neil,   not    having   a   thorough   knowl- 
edge of  this  passage,  greatly  dreaded  the  Grand  Cayman, 
the  land   of    which   is   so  remarkably  low   that  it  cannot 
be  seen   until  close  upon   it.     Under  all   the  critical  cir- 
cumstances the  captain   found   himself   in,   he   thought  it 
tidvisable   to  put   the   ship  before   the  wind,  and  bear  up 
for  this   port.      At    midnight,   on    the   2d  of    September, 
land  was  discovered  on  the  starboard  bow.     This  proved, 
by  the  charts,  to  be  the  Isle  of  Pines,  off  the  west  end  of 
our  island,  (Cuba.)     Considerable  consternation  took  place 
on   board  at   this   discovery,   as   the   land  in   question   lay 
*  dead   to  leeward.'      The   ship  was   put  about  with   great 
difficulty,  and  an  offing  was  eventually  gained. 


292  THE    LOSS    OF    AN    ENGLISH    WEST    INDIAMAN. 

"  The  apprehensions  of  the  crew  and  passengers  were 
now  greatly  allayed,  as  the  most  lively  hopes  were  enter- 
tained that  no  disaster  would  occur  before  daylight,  when 
the  situation  of  the  vessel  would  be  known,  and  steps 
taken  for  her  safety.  The  gale  continued  with  unabated 
fury,  accompanied  by  so  heavy  a  sea,  that  it  was  expected 
the  decks  would  be  swept  fore  and  aft.  Between  two 
and  three  o'clock,  these  fears  were  realized,  by  a  heavy 
sea  coming  over  the  lee  quarters,  disabling  the  wheel, 
and  carrying  away  her  coops,  carpenter's  chest,  and  other 
things  on  the  poop.  A  few  minutes  after,  another,  of 
greater  magnitude,  came  over  the  vv^indward  side  of  the 
vessel,  nearly  amidship,  the  effects  of  which  proved  dread- 
ful :  the  ship's  carpenter  and  cook  were  carried  overboard 
and  perished  ;  with  them  went  the  Hfe  and  jolly-boats, 
also  the  caboose,  and  a  number  of  casks ;  the  whole  of 
the  starboard  bulwarks  were  carried  away  by  the  same 
sea ;  to  this  was  attributed  tlie  subsequent  loss  of  the 
unfortunate  vessel,  and  calamitous  results,  as  the  vessel 
now  became  unmanageable,  and  drove  bodily  to  leeward. 
The  captain  was  aware  that  the  land  of  Cuba  must  lie 
close  to  leeward ;  and  all  hope  of  escaping  destruction 
before  daylight  was  now  given  up. 

"  The  scene  that  followed  (as  described  by  one  of  the 
survivors)  can  only  be  imagined  by  those  who  have  been 
in  similar  dreadful  situations  —  all  was  anarchy  and  horror 
on  board;  between  three  and  four  o'clock,  breakers  were 
distinctly  discerned  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  now  the  mere 
shadow  of  hope  that  previously  existed  fled  ;  all  subordina- 
tion now  ceased  on  board  ;  every  one  thought  of  the  best 
expedient  to  give  himself  a  chance  of  preservation.  Signals 
of  distress  were  fired,  but  they  were  only  wasted  amidst  the 
tumult  of  the  contending  elements.  The  captain  ordered 
the  masts  to  be  cut  away,  which  was  done  by  the  few 
who  were  sufficiently  collected  still  to  obey  his  orders. 
This  eased  the  vessel ;  but  she  still  drove  towards  the 
*  breakers,'  the  foam  of  which  had  an  awfully  grand  ap- 
pearance. The  captain  knew  the  land  to  be  the  Island 
of  Cuba,  but  was  ignorant  on  what  part  of  the  coast  the 
vessel  was  driving.  Had  not  the  boats  been  washed  over 
in  the  sea  that  was  running,  they  could  not  have  been 


THE    SURVIVORS    PICKED    UP    BY    THE    SPANIARDS.      293 

of  any  avail  in  the  preservation  of  human  life,  as  they 
could  not  have  existed  tlirough  the  lieavy  surf  that  was 
furiously  rushing  over  the  breakers. 

"  A  little  after  three  o'clock,  as  near  as  could  be  judged, 
the  unfortunate  ship  struck,  her  starboard  bow  first  taking 
the  ground  and  immediately  afterwards  she  was  thrown 
upon  her  beam  ends,  the  sea  making  complete  breaches 
over  her  deck.  One  universal  scene  of  destruction  took 
place  in  a  few  minutes  after  the  first  dreadful  shock ;  only 
four  souls  of  the  whole  ship's  company,  crew,  and  pas- 


The  Medusa  on  the  Rocks  of  Cuba. 

sengers,  survived .;  and  these  wretched  men  were  some  ef 
many  who  lashed  themselves  to  spars,  and  committed  their 
fates  to  the  waves ;  they  were  picked  up  on  the  beach 
shortly  after  daylight,  by  some  Spaniards,  in  a  mutilated 
and  exhausted  state;  three  of  them  were  seamen,  the 
fourth  a  steerage  passenger  of  the  name  of  Doherty. 
The  vessel  struck  upon  the  ^Colorados,'  an  extensive 
reef  of  rocks,  lying  about  half  a  mile  off  the  main  land. 
The  day  after  the  wreck,  more  than  twenty  bodies  were 
washed  on  the  beach,  as  also  a  quantity  of  the  cargo ; 
25* 


294 


THE    LOSS    OF    AN    ENGLISH    WEST    INDIAMAN, 


mosi  of  the  latter  became  the  booty  of  the  Spaniards  on 
that  part  of  the  coast.  The  cabin  passengers  consisted 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Urqiihart  and  daughter,  Mr.  M'Lean, 
Mr.  Murray,  and  two  sons,  (youths.)  Mr.  Oblara,  Mr. 
Farrel,  and  two  other  gentlemen,  whose  names  I  have 
not  been  able  to  ascertain.  On  the  night  of  the  fatal 
wreck,  the  Pomona,  Captain  Douglas,  heard  signals  of 
distress,  when  near  Cape  Corrientes ;  but  from  the  state 
of  the  weather  she  was  unable  to  render  assistance.  She 
was  from  Jamaica,  and  bound  to  Glasgow.  The  four  sur- 
vivors are  still  here.  Doherty  is  not  expected  to  live.  I 
have  not  heard  to  whom  the  Medusa  belonged.  She  had 
made  three  previous  voyages  to  the  West  Indies." 


THE    CONFLAGRATION 

or    THE 

STEAMER    ROYAL    TAR, 

IN 

PENOBSCOT  BAY,   OFF  THE   COAST  OF  MAINE; 
October,  1836. 


to  Portland,  Me.,  having  encountered 
a  gale  as  she  was  crossing  Penobscot 
Bay,  came  to  anchor  within  about  a 
mile  of  Fox  Island,  on  the  25th  of 
October,  1836.  While  lying  there, 
about  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  on  that  fatal 
day,  she  was  discovered  to  be  on  lire  near  the  coal-room. 
The  boilers  were  at  the  time  without  water.  The  pas- 
sengers were  assembled  in  the  cabin,  and  about  sitting 
down  to  dinner,  when  it  was  announced  to  them  that  the 
boat  was  on  fire.  This  fact  had  already  been  made  known 
to  the  crew  some  time,  and  they  had  been  engaged  in 
unavailing  efforts  to  extinguish  it,  without  giving  the  alarm. 
Had  it  sooner  been  made  known,  it  was  thought,  as  some 
of  them  were  experienced  men,  the  fire  might,  possibly,  have 
been  extinguished,  or  the  destruction  of  the  boat  have  been 
attended  with  less  loss  of  life.  As  it  was,  all  efforts  to 
extinguish  the  flames  seemed  useless,  and  the  only  hope  of 
escape  seemed  to  be  to  run  the  boat  on  shore.  With  this 
view  the  anchor  was  slipped.  The  foresail  having  already 
Decome  a  prey  to  the  devouring  element,  a  jib,  the  only 
available  sail,  was  hoisted ;  but  the  flames  blew  into  it  and 
burnt  it  immediately,  it  blowing  a  gale  off  the  shore.  The 
boat  being  loosed  from  her  moorings,  without  steam  or  sail, 
began  to  drift  to  sea.     The  captain,  with  a  few  of  the  pas- 


S96     THE  CONFLAGRATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  TAR. 

sengersj  secured  their  own  safety  by  taking  to  one  of  the 
boats.  Two  of  the  boats  had  been  left  at  St.  John,  to 
make  room  upon  the  deck  for  the  caravan.  The  passengers 
were  thus  deprived  of  a  part  of  the  usual  means  of  escape, 
in  case  of  disaster.  An  effort  was  made  to  put  overboard  a 
large  omnibus,  upon  which  to  escape  ;  but  its  great  weight 
(being  nearly  two  tons)  prevented  its  being  done.  Several 
passengers  now  took  to  the  only  remaining  boat ;  and  the  re- 
maining passengers,  among  whom  were  several  women  and 
children,  were  driven  overboard  by  the  flames.  The  scene  at 
this  time  was  truly  terrific.  Women  threw  their  infants  over- 
board, and  leaped  after  them.  Other  passengers,  both  male 
and  female,  secured  ropes  to  the  vessel,  and  lowered  them- 
selves over  the  side.  This  precaution  was  rendered  un- 
availing to  many  of  them,  by  the  ropes  being  burnt  off. 
One  man,  having  secured  a  quantity  of  silver  dollars  to  his 
person,  lowered  himself  to  the  water's  edge,  with  the  in- 
tention of  seizing  a  spar,  but  no  sooner  let  go  his  hold, 
than,  owing  to  the  weight  of  the  silver,  he  sunk  to  rise  no 
more.  Six  horses  belonging  to  the  caravan  were  backed 
overboard ;  three  of  them  instinctively  swam  towards  the 
nearest  land ;  the  other  three  swam  round  the  boat  until 
they  sank  exhausted.  A  large  elephant,  belonging  to  the 
menagerie,  having  retreated  to  a  part  of  the  boat  which  the 
fire  had  not  reached,  mounted  his  fore  feet  upon  the  rail,  in 
which  position  he  remained  till  about  four  o'clock,  —  appa- 
rently calculating,  with  the  characteristic  sagacity  of  the  ani- 
mal, the  prospects  of  escape,  -^  when  it  became  too  hot  for 
him,  and  he  leaped  overboard,  carrying  with  him,  as  he  slid 
down  the  vessel's  side,  several  of  the  passengers  who  were 
clinging  there.  His  immense  weight  probably  carried  him 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  as  he  reappeared,  after  some  time, 
at  a  considerable  distance.  This  animal  also  instinctively 
swam  towards  the  nearest  land  ;  but  as  the  boat  was  at  this 
time  drifted  four  or  five  miles  out  to  sea,  he  must  have  per- 
ished. The  Revenue  Cutter,  on  the  Castine  station,  made 
her  appearance  at  the  scene  ;  but  the  captain  declined  going 
alongside,  as  he  was  fearful  that  the  elephant  would  leap  on 
board.  The  steamboat  continued  to  drift  to  sea ;  and  the 
light  of  the  conflagration  was  visible  till  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  when  it  suddenly  disappeared,  and  the  boat  is  sup- 


'  DISTRESSING    SCENE    ON    BOARD.  29T 

posed  to  have  sunk ;  being  about  twenty  miles  from  where 
she  took  fire. 

A  gentleman  connected  with  the  menagerie,  Mr.  H.  H. 
Fuller,  gives  the  following  statement  of  his  perils  :  — 

"  Immediately  after  she  came  to  anchor,  fire  was  dis- 
covered around  the  whole  space  occupied  by  the  boiler, 
below  the  deck.  Those  who  first  became  aware  of  the 
fact,  fled  to  the  boats.  At  this  time,  I  was  sick  in  my 
berth  ;  my  attention  was  first  called  to  the  fact,  that  some- 
thing unusual  had  taken  place,  by  observing  that  every 
person  but  myself  had  left  the  cabin.  When  I  reached 
the  deck,  I  saw  the  long-boat,  full  of  people,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  to  the  leeward  ;  they  were  rowing  hard,  and 
were  soon  out  of  sight.  The  small  boat,  in  which  was 
Captain  Reed,  who  took  possession  of  it  to  prevent  its 
following  the  long-boat  to  the  leeward,  lay  about  fifty 
yards  astern ;  three  persons  swam  off,  and  were  taken 
into  her,  though  the  wind  was  then  blowing  a  gale,  and 
a  tremendous  sea  was  running.  He  then  bore  away  for 
the  land  to  windward,  about  two  miles.  At  this  time,  a 
great  many  persons  jumped  overboard  and  w^ere  drowned. 
The  screams  of  women  and  children,  the  horrid  yells  of 
the  men,  the  roaring  of  the  storm,  and  the  awful  con- 
fusion, baffle  description.  The  pilot.  Captain  Atkins,  of 
Portland,  and  the  mate,  Mr.  Black,  of  St.  John,  with  the 
assistance  of  those  who  still  had  their  senses,  after  hoisting 
a  signal  of  distress,  slipped  the  cable  and  made  sail.  The 
sails,  however,  caught  fire,  and  were  soon  burnt.  The 
steamer  then  broached  to,  and  was  shortly  completely  en- 
veloped in  flames  amidships.  The  fire  interrupted  all 
communication  between  the  fore  and  aft ;  and  neither 
those  in  the  bows  nor  those  in  the  stern  could  see  or 
know  the  fate  of  each  other.  All  but  myself  fled  from 
the  quarter-deck.  I  sat  on  the  stern  rail,  till  my  coat 
took  fire.  I  looked  round,  and  seeing  not  a  soul  around 
me  in  the  boat,  I  fastened  a  rope  to  the  tiller  chain 
and  dropped  over  the  stern,  where  I  found  about  fifteen 
others  hanging  in  different  places,  mostly  in  the  water. 
In  fact,  the  water  washed  over  all  of  us  almost  every 
minute. 

"While  holding  on,  I  saw  several  drown;   some  were' 


298     THE  CONFLAGRATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  TAR.   ? 

beaten  from  their  hold  by  the  waves,  and  some  falUng 
into  the  sea  for  want  of  strength  to  sustain  themselves 
any  longer.  I  had  fastened  my  rope  to  the  chain,  which 
was  again  fastened  by  iron  bolts,  which  held  out  against 
the  fire  much  longer  than  the  other  parts,  to  which  many 
were  suspended.  I  wound  the  rope  round  my  neck  and 
thigh ;  and  was  enabled  to  bear  up  the  additional  weight 
of  three  men  and  a  lady,  who  hung  securely  to  me. 
Not  far  from  me  hung  Captain  Atkins,  the  pilot :  he  held 
up  a  lady  with  his  feet;  her  arms  failed  her  at  last,  but  he 
caught  her  with  his  feet,  and  held  her  full  five  minutes,  till 
a  sea  washed  her  off,  and  she  drifted  by  ;  a  kind  wave 
threw  her  up  against  an  Irishman,  hanging  on  my  left,  and 
she  seized  hold  of  him,  and  assisted,  perhaps,  by  our  en- 
couraging, and  the  Irishman's  also,  she  kept  up.  When 
the  cutter's  boat  passed  under  our  stem,  Atkins  and  I 
begged  for  God's  sake  that  she  should  take  those  two, 
even  if  they  left  us,  as  we  thought  we  could  weather  it 
a  little  longer.  The  gig  passed  within  six  feet  of  those 
two,  who,  we  expected,  would  be  lost  every  minute.  The 
officer  of  the  gig  was  afraid,  and  left  them  and  us  to  our 
fate.  We  were  all  saved  —  that  is,  the  lady.  Irishman, 
Atkins,  and  those  attached  to  my  person  —  by  Captain 
Reed,  in  his  small  boat,  and  conveyed  to  the  cutter.  She 
was  not  in  sight  when  I  first  went  on  deck.  I  had  been  in 
the  water,  beating  about  under  the  stern,  two  hours  before 
I  was  taken  off. 

"  I  cannot  conclude  this  statement  without  expressing  my 
deep  conviction  that  the  course  pursued  by  Captain  Reed 
was  the  only  one  which  could  have  saved  those  who  were 
saved,  after  the  long-boat  put  off  to  leeward.  Captain 
Reed  saved,  by  making  trips  in  his  small  boat,  all  who  were 
saved  after  that  injudicious  movement." 

Mr.  William  Marjoram,  a  pious  passenger,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing recital :  — 

"  At  2,  P.  M.,  the  engineer  reported  to  the  captain  that 
the  water  was  all  out  of  the  boiler :  the  captain  immediately 
ordered  the  anchor  to  be  let  go,  without  first  ascertaining 
whether  there  was  any  danger  of  the  boiler's  being  red  hot, 
which  was  then  the  case.  Some  men  were  then  sent  down 
to  pump  water  into  it ;  in  a  few  minutes,  the  black  boy  camfe 


MANY    ARE    DRIVEN    OVERBOARD    BY    THE    FIRE.         299 

funning  on  deck,  crying  out,  '  Fire,^  Captain  Read  was 
heard  to  tell  him  to  hold  his  tongue.  The  boats  were  im- 
mediately lowered  ;  fifteen  got  into  one,  and  Captain  Reed 
and  four  men  into  the  other,  and  both  rowed  towards  the 
shore.  The  scene  was  now  truly  awful  -r-men,  women,  and 
children,  running  in  all  directions,  with  their  clothes  in  their 
hands.  In  consequence  of  seeing  the  captain  leave  the  boat, 
they  became  paralyzed.  The  fire  was  now  raging  through 
the  decks ;  the  mate  gave  orders  to  slip  the  cable.  The 
jib  was  now  hoisted,  and  the  mainsail  partly  got  up ;  but 
such  was  the  confusion  on  board  that  it  was  impossible  to 
obey  the  order.  Several  were  by  this  time  seen  some  dis 
tance  from  the  boat,  on  pieces  of  wood,  and,  I  fear,  were 
drowned.  I  endeavored  to  exhort  the  people  to  be  calm, 
and  to  meet  the  then  approaching  fate  with  calmness,  and 
to  trust  in  God,  and  his  Son  Jesus,  as  our  only  hope  of  being 
saved ;  reminding  them  that  they  had  been  sinful  creatures. 
With  some  it  appeared  to  have  great  weight,  and  I  hope 
they  obtained  pardon  through  the  blood  of  Christ.  As  the 
fire  raged,  the  scene  became  truly  awful.  Men,  women,  and 
children,  were  seen  taking  their  last  farewell  of  each  other; 
some  lashing  boxes  to  their  backs,  loaded  with  dollars,  and 
some  casting  their  property  into  the  sea.  A  sail  was  at  last 
seen  from  behind  the  land,  which,  on  heaving  in  sight,  bore 
away  for  us.  The  boat  Captain  Reed  was  in  immediately 
made  for  us :  all  eyes  were  now  directed  on  her  as  the  only 
hope  to  rescue  them  from  a  watery  grave.  Several,  by  this 
time,  had  caught  fire,  and  jumped  into  the  sea ;  and  some 
were  holding  on  to  the  stern.  The  fire  had  now  taken  pos- 
session of  the  waist,  and  prevented  any  communication  to 
the  stern.  I  recollect  passing  over  the  cages  of  wild  beasts 
when  they  were  on  fire ;  and  well  might  I  say  with  the 
psalmist  David,  ^  My  soul  is  among  lions,  even  those  that  are 
set  on  JireJ  The  cutter  had  now  nearly  reached  us,  and 
every  one  preparing  to  jump  on  board ;  but  what  was  our 
consternation,  when  we  beheld  the  cutter  heave  in  stays  and 
stand  for  the  shore  !  but  she  was  boarded  by  Captain  Reed, 
who  put  what  men  he  had  into  her,  and  rowed  for  the 
steamer,  and  took  some  off  the  stern.  The  cutter's  boat 
rowed  round  the  steamer,  but  was  afraid  to  come  near,  as 
was  the  cutter,   forgetting  they   could   have   thrown   their 


300      THE  CONFLAGRATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  TAR. 

powder  overboard.  The  boat  now  continued  going  to  and 
from  the  wreck,  taking  the  people  ofT.  I  was  three  hours 
on  the  wreck,  and  was  taken  off  by  the  captain.  The  mo- 
ment I  got  on  board  of  the  cutter,  I  begged  Captain  Dyer 
to  carry  her  alongside,  but  he  refused ;  saying,  the  ele- 
phant would  jump  on  board.  I  then  requested  him  to  sail 
the  cutter  under  the  bows,  and  ask  the  keeper  to  lash  his 
leg  to  the  windlass  ;  but  it  was  of  no  avail :  he  ordered  me 
to  go  below,  which  I  did  for  a  short  time. 

"  I  again  went  on  deck,  and  helped  the  people  out  of  the 
boat  as  they  came  alongside,  remarking  every  time  that  they 
brought  no  women  with  them.  About  6  o'clock,  the  boat 
came  with  only  three  persons  on  board  —  a  Mr.  Brown,  late 
steward  of  the  boat,  and  a  colored  sailor,  that  belonged  to 
the  steamboat,  who  was  the  means  of  saving  a  great  many 
lives,  having  been  in  the  boat  a  long  time.  He  requested 
me  to  take  his  place ;  the  cutter-master  said  he  could  stay 
no  longer.  I,  however,  jumped  into  the  boat,  and  rowed 
away :  on  reaching  the  wreck,  there  was  one  woman  hold- 
ing on  the  bowsprit,  with  a  child  in  her  arms,  and  another 
in  the  water,  with  her  clothes  burnt  off,  holding  on  by  a 
piece  of  rope :  she  let  go,  and  before  I  could  get  to  her 
the  child  was  drowned ;  but  we  saved  the  woman,  who 
was  nearly  dead  ;  but,  after  using  the  means  which  are  gener- 
ally adopted,  she  revived.  The  cutter  stood  for  the  shore, 
where  she  landed  the  survivors,  except  the  last  woman  ;  Cap- 
tain Dyer  and  myself  sitting  up  all  night,  endeavoring  to 
bring  her  to,  which  we  did. 

"  I  cannot  conclude  without  expressing  my  sincere  thanks 
for  the  kindness  we  experienced  from  the  inhabitants  of  the 
islands  ;  to  Miss  S.  Crocket,  for  supplying  the  females  with 
shoes  and  other  articles  ;  and  to  persons  whom  I  did  not 
know;  at  Vinal  Haven,  to  the  Messrs.  Thomas,  brothers, 
vi^ho  were  very  kind  ;  and  also  to  Captain  Dyer,  for  taking 
the  females  to  his  house  and  dressing  their  wounds.  At 
Thomaston,  Mr.  Allen,  of  the  marble  works,  and  others, 
treated  us  extremely  well,  subscribing  to  assist  me  in  getting 
tjie  females  to  Portland  by  the  stage. 

"Such  a  dreadful  sacrifice  of  life  I  think  has  never  oc- 
exirred  before,  through  neglect  and  want  of  coolness  and 
courage  on  the  part  of  those  who  had  the  management  of 


AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    LIONS    WHICH    WERE    BURNT.    303 

the  boat.  But  let  me  conclude  with  David^s  60ih  psalm, — 
^Our  God  shall  come,  and  shall  not  Jceep  silence;  a  fire  shall 
devour  before  him,  and.  it  shall  he  very  tempestuous  round 
about  him.''  " 

The  rare  and  valuable  collection  of  living  animals  which 
composed  Messrs.  Macomber,  Welsh,  and  Co.'s  menagerie, 
and  which  were  all  destroyed  by  this  melancholy  accident, 
were  mostly  collected  by  hunting  parties,  sent  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  into  the  interior  of  South  Africa.  The 
parties,  which  consisted  of  fifty  or  more  in  number,  were 
sometimes  six  months  on  an  expedition  to  the  hunting- 
grounds,  so  that  the  enormous  expense  in  procuring  them 
will  be  readily  perceived.  We  will  give  a  few  authentic 
sketches  and  anecdotes  of  the  most  noted. 

The  lions  were  taken  from  the  den,  when  but  two  or 
three  months  old,  by  a  party  of  Messrs.  Welsh  and  Macom- 
ber's  hunters  in  South  Africa,  and  sent  to  this  country.  The 
party  consisted  of  thirty-six  Bushmen,  Boors,  Hottentots, 
and  Yankees,  mounted  on  horses,  and  accompanied  by  ten 
or  twelve  well-trained  dogs.  They  had  been  absent  from 
the  cape  about  seven  weeks,  had  travelled  twenty-three 
hundred  miles  into  the  interior,  and  arrived  safely  on  the 
borders  of  the  hunting-ground  for  ferocious  wild  beasts. 
They  stopped  for  a  night  at  the  hut  of  an  old  settler,  and 
before  morning  were  aroused  by  the  barking  of  their  dogs, 
which  had  discovered  a  lion  near  the  premises,  not,  how- 
ever, until  he  had  killed  a  beautiful  gazelle,  domesticated  by 
their  host.  The  men  were  aware  of  their  inability  to  con- 
tend with  the  lion  in  the  night,  and  suffered  him  to  retire 
unattacked. 

Early  in  the  morning,  however,  they  set  off  on  the  track 
taken  by  the  dogs,  and  in  two  or  three  hours  arrived  at  a 
thicket  of  brushwood,  rendered  almost  impassable  by  huge 
rocks  scattered  in  every  direction.  Here  they  left  their 
horses,  and  put  two  of  the  Hottentots  in  front,  who  were 
resolute  fellows,  and  had  before  been  present  at  the  killing 
or  capture  of  several  similar  animals.  They  clambered 
along  but  a  few  rods  farther  before  they  were  warned  of 
their  approach  to  the  enemy  by  the  loud  and  violent  barking 
of  the  dogs.  The  lion  had  so  fortified  himself  in  his  po- 
sition, that  he  could  not  be  seen  till  within  a  few  yards ;  and 


304      THE  CONFLAGRATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  TAR. 

the  Hottentots,  who  led  the  way,  were  on  the  point  of  ven- 
turing within  his  very  grasp,  when  the  glaring  eye-balls  of 
his  lionship  peered  among  the  evergreen  that  partly  con- 
cealed a  cleft  in  the  rocks.  Tlie  foremost  hunters  felt  so 
sure  of  success  that  they  fired  without  waiting  the  arrival 
of  the  rest  of  the  party.  The  shots  either  missed  or 
wounded  only  to  enrage;  for  in  an  instant,  and  almost  at  a 
single  bound,  the  ferocious  animal  had  prostrated  one  of  the 
poor  Hottentots,  and  was  standing  over  him  in  an  attitude 
of  exultation.  A  dozen  of  his  comrades  at  the  moment 
came  up,  who  feared  to  fire  again,  lest  they  should  kill  their 
fellow,  or  see  him  devoured  on  the  spot.  There  was  no 
time  to  be  lost,  however,  and,  as  the  only  alternative,  they 
determined  to  take  deliberate  aim  at  his  head,  which  was 
raised  high  above  his  prisoner,  and  to  send  the  balls  whiz- 
zing together  at  a  given  signal.  This  was  done  in  a  trice, 
and  the  lion  fell  upon  the  unfortunate  Hottentot,  who  ex- 
pected every  moment  to  be  his  last.  In  seizing  him,  the  lion 
had  torn  his  flesh  and  broken  the  bones  of  one  arm,  without 
doing  other  injury.  This  prize  proved  to  be  a  lioness,  about 
seven  feet  long;  and,  on  entering  her  den,  they  were  rejoiced 
to  find  a  pair  of  beautiful  cubs,  which  were  now  conveyed 
away  without  molestation. 

Of  all  the  rare  and  noble  beasts  in  this  collection,  the 
royal  tiger  of  Bengal  was  the  most  splendid  and  powerful. 
Of  enormous  size,  and  weighing  upwards  of  five  hundred 
pounds,  he  far  surpassed  any  similar  animal  in  exhibition  in 
this  country.  He  was  taken  when  young  from  the  den,  after 
a  severe  hunt  of  three  and  a  half  days,  and  a  tremendous  en- 
counter with  the  mother,  who  was  finally  maimed  in  her  limbs, 
and  dragged  herself  to  her  subterranean  retreat.  He  had 
grown  up  under  the  eye  of  faithful,  rigid  keepers,  and  was  early 
taught  to  receive  the  caresses  of  his  master.  At  one  time, 
he  evinced  so  much  fondness  for  a  small  dog  that  came  near 
the  cage,  that  the  person  in  attendance  introduced  the  young 
greyhound  to  the  apartment  of  his  royal  greatness,  who 
seemed  pleased  with  his  new  companion.  He  was  suffered 
to  remain,  and  the  tiger  was  not  unfrequently  seen  to  fondle 
and  lick  the  dog,  and  to  regard  him  with  even  more  tender- 
ness than  this  animal  usually  does  his  mate.  The  dog  in  a 
few  weeks,  however,  sickened  and  died;  and  no  one  lamented 


A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    ELEPHANT    MOGUL.  305 

his  loss  SO  much  as  the  tiger,  who  moaned  out  his  requiem, 
walking  restlessly  up  and  down  the  cage. 

The  elephant  Mogul  was  imported  late  in  the  fall  of  1824, 
and,  having  sulfered  much  from  a  long  sea  voyage,  was  re- 
duced in  weight.  But  he  rapidly  recruited,  and  during  the 
winter  he  gained  one  hundred  pounds  a  month.  The  anec- 
dotes of  this  noble  creature,  were  they  preserved,  would 
make  a  long  chapter,  and  interest  all  classes  of  readers.  His 
performances  in  the  ring  would  scarcely  be  credited,  had 
they  not  been  daily  witnessed  by  hundreds.  A  word  or  a 
look  was  sufficient  to  stimulate  him  to  the  greatest  exertions. 
He  caressed  his  master  in  the  best  manner,  and  would  not 
so  readily  obey  another  person.  He  received  his  orders 
with  attention,  and  executed  them  cheerfully,  though  with 
great  deliberation.  All  his  motions  were  grave,  majestic, 
regular,  and  cautious,  partaking  in  character  somewhat  of 
the  gravity  of  his  body.  He  kneeled  on  either  side,  raised 
his  master  to  his  back  with  his  trunk  or  tusks,  as  directed ; 
reclined  at  length  in  the  ring,  or  walked  over  the  prostrate 
body  of  the  keeper  at  the  proper  bidding.  This  last  scene 
was  one  of  the  most  impressive  that  could  be  witnessed. 
From  the  situation  of  his  eyes,  he  could  not  see  his  fore  feet, 
and  calculate  the  distance  to  the  object  over  which  he  was 
to  pass  without  injury ;  so  he  carefully  measured  the  space 
back  and  forth  with  his  trunk,  then  divided  the  distance  so 
accurately  that  the  last  step,  before  reaching  the  body,  was 
just  near  enough  to  aflbrd  him  opportunity,  with  a  long 
stride,  to  accomplish  his  feat,  to  the  wonder  of  every  be- 
holder. All  this  was  done  with  so  much  care  and  wisdom, 
that  it  would  seem  to  proceed  from  a  higher  impulse  than 
that  of  mere  animal  instinct. 

Mogul  was  a  great  traveller,  and,  notwithstanding  his 
weakness,  on  his  arrival  from  abroad,  kept  pace  with  the 
best  horses  of  the  company.  In  one  instance,  when  pro- 
ceeding from  one  town  to  another,  he  became  frightened, 
and  started  off  suddenly  with  such  rapidity  as  to  get  entirely 
beyond  the  reach  of  his  two  keepers,  who  were  mounted  on 
swift  horses.  He  ran  six  miles  in  thirty  minutes,  and  then 
quietly  jogged  on  as  though  nothing  had  happened.  It  was 
his  custom  in  the  autumn,  when  passing  orchards  of  tempt- 
ing fruit,  deliberately  to  remove  two  or  three  of  the  upper 
26* 


306      THE  CONFLAGRATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  TAR. 

rails  of  the  fence,  and,  stepping  over,  to  make  a  meal  of  the 
finest  apples  ;  and  then,  without  direction  from  his  master, 
to  return  to  the  road  and  pursue  his  route.  In  descending 
steep  hills,  he  practised  all  the  art  of  an  experienced  wag- 
oner. The  pressure  of  his  weight  (7000  lbs.)  in  these 
cases  was  so  great,  that  he  uniformly  resisted  the  attraction 
of  gravitation  as  much  as  possible,  by  bracing  his  fore  legs, 
and  moving  them  slowly  and  cautiously,  while  he  threw  out 
his  hind  legs,  letting  himself  down,  and  literally  dragging 
them  after  him  down  the  hill. 

Another  rare  animal  was  the  gnu,  which  was  one  of  the 
first  specimens  of  this  wonderfully-constructed  animal  that 
had  been  introduced  into  this  country.  The  hunting  parties 
of  Messrs.  Welsh,  Macomber,  and  Co.,  in  the  interior  of 
Africa,  were  directed  to  make  the  gnu,  or  horned  horse,  the 
particular  object  of  their  pursuit,  and  to  shrink  at  nothing 
that  would  enable  them  to  secure  a  full-grown  animal.  Two 
parties  set  off  a  seven  weeks'  journey  to  different  hunting- 
grounds,  and  followed  the  traces  of  no  wild  beast  till  they 
started  a  herd  of  gnus.  One  party  remained  upwards  of 
forty  days,  and  were  successful  in  catching  three  furious  an- 
imals, which  they  found  it  almost  impossible  to  manage,  and 
it  was  only  by  fettering  their  legs,  and  confining  their  heads 
by  strong  cords  to  their  fore  legs,  that  they  could  progress 
at  all  in  their  homeward  journey  to  the  cape.  It  was  the 
misfortune  of  the  other  party  to  traverse  grounds  suffer- 
ing excessively  from  drought;  and  their  sufferings  were 
for  several  days  almost  incredible,  from  the  impossibility 
of  obtaining  food  for  their  horses  an'd  themselves.  They 
took,  however,  one  gnu,  and  arrived  again  at  the  cape, 
after  an  absence  of  five  months,  and  the  loss  of  three 
men. 

Thus  perished  these  noble  animals,  which  had  been  col- 
lected at  such  an  immense  expense.  They  consisted  of  one 
elephant,  two  dromedaries,  two  lions,  one  leopard,  one  gnu, 
one  Bengal  tiger,  besides  numerous  smaller  animals,  and 
birds ;  with  Burgess's  collection  of  serpents  and  birds,  and 
Dexter's  locomotive  museum,  together  with  a  large  number 
of  musical  instruments. 

The  Royal  Tar  was  a  fine  boat  of  400  tons.  The  whole 
number  of  passengers  on  board  was  eighty-five,  of  whom 


AERIAL    CASTLE-BUILDING.  309 

attended  with  a  supercilious  declaration  that  he  had  no 
ships  in  want  of  officers,  roused  Mr.  Page's  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence. This  was  not  lost  on  the  merchant,  for,  imme- 
diately changing  his  tone,  he  requested  the  young  adven- 
turer's address,  assuring  him  that  he  should  be  recom- 
mended to  fill  the  first  vacancy.  A  lieutenant  of  the 
Bombay  Marine,  and  Lieutenant  Mickie,  naval  store- 
keeper, to  whom  Mr.  Page  had  similar  letters,  lavished 
their  attentions  on  him,  and  the  latter  in  ten  days  in- 
formed him  of  an  opening.  Mr.  Page  accordingly  engaged 
as  second  mate  on  board  the  Fanny,  Captain  Robertson, 
bound  for  China,  and  embarked  after  taking  a  hasty  leave 
of  his  friends. 

The  Fanny  got  under  weigh  on  the  morning  of  the  8th 
of  August,  1803,  and  proceeded  on  a  prosperous  voyage, 
until  reaching  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  when,  having  run 
aground,  the  rudder  was  carried  away.  It  was  speedily 
refitted,  and  Mr.  Page,  in  the  further  progress  of  the  voy- 
age, indulged  himself,  to  relieve  the  irksome  duty,  with 
calculating  the  profits  and  advantages  which  it  would  pro- 
duce. "When  I  arrive  in  China,"  says  he,  "  I  shall  receive 
£80,  every  shilling  of  which  shall  be  laid  out  in  goods. 
These  will  bring  me  at  least  50  per  cent. :  —  50  per  cent.  ? 
What  do  I  say  ?  They  must  be  bad  markets,  indeed,  that 
will  not  produce  at  least  80  per  cent.  Perhaps,  after  all, 
however,  I  might  agree  on  70 ;  "  and  so  his  calculation 
went  on.  "£80  at  70  per  cent,  will  amount  to  so  much, 
and  four  months'  additional  wages  to  so  much  more." 

The  voyage  being  undertaken  late  in  the  season,  exposed 
the  Fanny  to  those  frightful  hurricanes  called  typhoons,  in 
the  East,  which  are  common  in  the  warmer  regions,  and 
attended  with  the  most  disastrous  consequences.  On  the 
15th  or  16th  of  September,  the  appearance  of  the  moon 
prognosticated  blowing  weather,  and  on  the  19th  a  gale 
arose.  Next  day  the  sky  was  throughout  in  a  vivid  glare, 
the  clouds  flying  about  in  all  directions,  and  the  sea  swell- 
ing in  tumultuous  agitation.  The  ship's  company  were 
now  assured  of  being  about  to  meet  something  unusual, 
and  accordingly  prepared  themselves  for  it.  At  noon  of 
the  21st,  and  the  whole  of  the  subsequent  day,  it  was  im^ 


310  THE  LOSS  OF  THE  SHIP  FANNY. 

possible,  for  the  violence  of  the  wind,  to  carry  any  sail, 
when,  in  the  morning,  a  sudden  calm  ensued  at  eight 
o'clock. 

These  circumstances  anticipated  the  approach  of  a  ty- 
phoon; and  in  half  an  hour  it  came  on,  in  a  way  that  baffles 
all  description.  Let  an  amazingly  high  sea  be  figured, 
counteracted,  at  the  same  time,  by  the  force  of  such  a 
hurricane  as  turned  back  the  tops  of  the  waves,  and  cov- 
ered the  ocean  with  froth,  resembling  the  boiling  of  a 
caldron.  Nothing  could  resist  the  tempest ;  about  nine 
o'clock,  the  foremast  went  by  the  board,  and  its  wreck 
going  astern,  tore  away  the  rudder.  Three  feet  water 
were  then  in  the  hold,  and  the  ship  was  driving  to  and 
fro  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  sea.  All  hands  got 
to  the  pumps ;  but  unfortunately  the  mate,  who  had  been 
affected  by  the  extreme  heat  of  the  weather,  and  subject 
to  derangement,  was  now  raving  mad,  and  the  captain's 
spirits  reduced  to  a  low  ebb.  The  chief  burden  of  duty, 
therefore,  fell  on  Mr.  Page,  who  continued  constantly 
cheering  the  men  at  the  pumps;  and,  in  the  tumult  of 
his  reflections,  he  felt  a  kind  of  consolation,  that,  should 
they  all  be  lost,  his  friends  in  England  would  long  be 
ignorant  of  it. 

A  dreadful  scene  was  presented  by  the  surrounding 
ocean  ;  frequently  the  sea  could  not  be  distinguished  from 
the  clouds,  exhibiting  a  spectacle  awful,  terrific,  and  sub- 
lime ;  and  what  was  sometimes  supposed  a  cloud,  the  rising 
of  the  ship  proved  to  be  an  immense  wave.  But  at  mid- 
night the  gale  abated ;  and  by  incessant  pumping,  the  water, 
on  the  morning  of  the  23d,  was  reduced  to  nine  inches. 
The  ship  had  lost  her  rudder,  and  was  drifting  at  the  will 
of  the  winds  and  waves,  though  the  loss  of  the  masts  would 
not  have  been  equally  unfortunate.  She  lay,  in  the  midst 
of  dangers,  in  17^  42'  north  latitude,  and  il2°  18'  east 
longitude ;  the  wind  was  dying  away,  and,  as  sufficient  sail 
durst  not  be  carried  to  steady  her,  she  continued  to  roll  ex- 
cessively. At  ten  that  night,  the  main-topmast  went  over- 
board, which  killed  one  man  and  wounded  five.  After 
getting  up  a  jury-foremast,  and  encountering  many  hazards, 
the  Fanny  made  the  coast  of  Hainan  on  the  13th  of  Octo- 


THE  SHIP  BLOWN  OFF  THE  LAND.  311 

ber,  but,  in  two  days  afterwards,  was  blown  out  of  the  bay, 
where  she  had  anchored.  The  chief  mate,  laboring  under 
his  unhappy  malady,  left  the  ship  when  she  first  reached 
Hainan ;  it  was  promoted  by  the  difficulties  and  hardships 
of  the  voyage.  But  four  men,  besides  his  servant,  having 
gone  ashore  for  water  in  the  same  boat,  were  left  behind, 
from  the  ship  being  blown  off  the  coast. 

The  Fanny  afterwards  reached  another  part  of  the  island, 
where  she  remained  three  weeks,  and  procured  plenty  of 
water,  though  no  provisions,  as  the  natives  were  prohibited 
to  trade  with  her ;  therefore  the  allowance  to  the  seamen 
was  reduced  to  half  a  pound  of  pease  in  twenty-four  hours. 
This  was  patiently  borne  by  the  seamen,  but  they  soon  be- 
gan to  suffer  from  it.  Previous  to  the  vessel's  departure, 
information  was  received  from  the  mate  that  he  and  the 
boat's  crew  had  been  made  prisoners  immediately  on  land- 
ing ;  that  they  had  been  marched  across  the  country  to  the 
place  off  which  the  ship  lay,  and  were  treated  with  the 
greatest  cruelty.  This  usage,  he  added,  had  brought  him 
to  his  senses,  and  he  now  entreated  to  be  admitted  on 
board.  Four  of  the  men  had  at  the  same  time  stolen 
ashore  in  the  long-boat,  which  was  dashed  to  pieces  by  the 
surf.  As  the  Hainanese  refused  to  deliver  up  the  people 
without  ransom,  it  was  resolved  to  resort  to  force ;  and  the 
Fanny,  having  four  six-pounders  mounted,  got  under  weigh 
on  the  4th  of  November,  to  come  abreast  of  the  town  and 
intimidate  the  inhabitants.  A  native  was  also  kept  on 
board  as  a  hostage.  When  under  sail,  the  wind  shifted, 
split  the  mainsail,  and  blew  the  ship  off  the  land.  The 
rudder  next  broke  from  the  stern,  when  in  thirty  fathoms' 
water,  and  the  vessel,  again  surrounded  by  dangers,  drifted 
out  to  sea,  with  the  Paracels,  a  dreadful  reef,  as  yet  incom- 
pletely explored,  under  the  lee.  Every  hour  produced  some 
new  hazard,  until  the  ship  at  length  came  round  upon  the 
opposite  tack,  and  drifted  to  the  south-east,  across  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  Paracels.  She  continued  advancing  in 
the  same  direction  until  the  21st  of  November,  when  a  new 
rudder  was  finished. 

Having  the  ship  once  more  under  command  inspired 
confidence  among  her  company,  and  that  night  they  stood 


312  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SHIP    FANNY. 

towards  the  south-east.  At  daylight,  however,  rocks  and 
sands  were  seen  in  every  direction,  and  an  attempt  to  get 
out  proving  abortive,  the  anchor  was  let  go.  Meantime  it 
was  resolved  to  repair  a  small  Chinese  boat  to  search  for  a 
passage  through  the  reefs,  nine  of  which  could  be  counted 
from  the  mast-head.  Repairing  the  boat  occupied  two  days, 
during  which,  though  two  anchors  were  down,  the  ship  was 
driven  nearer  the  rocks  to  leeward  by  every  blast,  and  at 
times  was  within  a  mile  of  the  nearest,  over  some  parts  of 
which  the  sea  broke  with  great  fury.  But,  on  trial,  the  boat 
was  found  to  be  as  leaky  as  ever,  and,  as  no  time  could  then 
be  lost,  one  anchor  was  weighed,  and  the  cable  of  the  other 
cut  to  make  sail.  The  reef  was  now  about  a  hundred  yards 
distant,  and  sanguine  hopes  of  dealing  it  were  entertained, 
whereby  the  ship  and  the  lives  of  her  crew  might  be  saved, 
when,  unfortunately,  the  wind  changed,  and  drove  them  right 
upon  it.  Every  means  was  practised  to  avoid  the  impending 
danger,  though  in  vain  ;  and  at  one  o'clock,  P.  M.,  of  the 
26th  November,  1803,  the  Fanny  struck  very  hard,  and  con- 
tinued driving  farther  on  the  rocks.  The  mizzenmast  was 
cut  away  to  prevent  her  from  going  to  pieces.  By  this  she 
was  relieved,  and  appeared  to  be  fixed.  Being  high  tide 
when  the  vessel  struck,  nothing  was  visible  except  very  shoal 
water ;  but,  as  the  tide  sunk,  the  rocks  began  to  show  their 
heads,  and  at  low  water  were  dry  for  several  miles  around. 
Where  she  lay,  there  were  twelve  feet  water,  and  she  heeled 
so  much,  that  the  yards  were  cut  down  from  the  masts  and 
put  overboard  as  props  to  support  her. 

The  company  of  the  Fanny  were  here  in  a  most  deplora- 
ble situation  —  cast  away  on  a  reef  formerly  unknown,  in 
90  44/  north  latitude,  and  in  IIS*^  51'  east  longitude,  and 
distant  from  Cochin  China,  the  nearest  coast,  250  miles. 
The  first  land  they  could  make,  even  had  they  possessed  a 
boat  fit  to  carry  them,  was  Pulo  Auro,  distant  850  miles ; 
their  numbers  consisted  of  fifty-six  persons,  and  every  mo- 
ment they  expected  the  ship  to  go  to  pieces.  As  yet,  how- 
ever, she  proved  perfectly  tight,  and  promised  to  afford  a  few 
days  more  of  a  miserable  existence. 

Now,  the  blacks,  half  dead  with  hunger  before,  were  in- 
capable of  makbig  any  exertion,  and  the  captaia,  wiHh  Mr. 


THEY    COMMENCE    BUILDING    TWO    FLOATS.  313 

Page,  took  a  glass  of  wine  and  water  together  in  the  cabin, 
such  as  in  that  situation  is  commonly  called  the  dying  man's 
glass.  Nevertheless,  after  consulting  on  the  most  probable 
means  of  preservation,  they  resolved  on  cutting  off  the  poop, 
if  the  ship  should  hold  together  long  enough,  and  forming 
two  flat-bottomed  boats  out  of  it.  Though  scarce  expecting 
to  see  it  completed,  the  task  was  set  about  with  alacrity,  and 
aided  by  all  the  Lascars  but  one,  who  swore  he  would  rather 
die  than  do  any  thing  more.  Twenty-six  bags  of  rice  were 
now  discovered,  which  proved  a  salutary  relief. 

Mr.  Page,  who  has  afforded  the  materials  for  this  narra- 
tive, acknowledges  that,  how^ever  averse  to  leave  his  ship- 
mates, were  he  compelled  by  dire  necessity,  he  must  have 
preferred  his  own  preservation  to  theirs.  He,  along  with 
the  captain  and  gunner,  was  the  only  Englishman  on  board, 
and  he  proposed  to  the  former,  that  the  Chinese  boat  already 
mentioned  should  be  rendered  serviceable  by  the  latter  and 
himself:  both  the  carpenters  being  employed  on  the  floats, 
no  assistance  could  be  expected  from  them.  This  boat,  he 
said,  would  just  do  for  the  captain,  his  servant,  the  gunner, 
and  himself;  it  could  be  placed  under  the  ship's  stern,  with 
a  few  pounds  of  rice  and  some  wine  ready  to  be  thrown  into 
it  in  a  moment ;  after  it  was  repaired,  they  could  go  on  with 
the  floats,  and  if  the  ship  went  to  pieces,  they  four  should 
endeavor  to  save  themselves. 

The  captain  assented  to  Mr.  Page's  proposal,  and  next 
morning  the  operations  on  the  boat  began.  Meantime  the 
water  rose  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel ;  on  the  29th  of  No- 
vember, there  were  two  feet  seven  inches ;  on  the  2nd  of 
December,  six  feet  two  inches ;  on  the  morning  of  the  4th, 
nearly  ten  feet;  and  at  noon,  she  was  completely  full.  Now 
her  bulk  began  to  yield,  the  timbers  started,  and  in  several 
places  the  planks  broke  asunder,  which  alarmed  the  people 
that  she  would  not  hold  lonoj  too^ether.  Fresh  water  also 
began  to  fail ;  but  the  bounty  of  Providence  sent  two  or  three 
showers  of  heavy  rain,  which  was  caught  in  sails,  and  butts 
filled  with  it. 

The  reef,  whereon  the  ship  struck,  was  every  where  com- 
posed of  sharp  rocks,  excepting  the  spot  that  she  occupied. 
This  consisted  of  a  little  sandy  bay,  formed  by  two  points, 
27 


314  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SHIP    FANNY. 

or  a  prong  of  the  reef.  Being  here  forced  up  to  the  rocks, 
their  points  protected  her  from  the  violence  of  the  sea,  and 
had  she  not  been  most  providentially  driven  on  that  very 
spot,  or  even  struck  a  hundred  yards  backwards  or  forwards, 
she  must  inevitably  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  in  a  few 
hours. 

When  the  rocks  were  dry  at  low  water,  the  people  often 
went  out  in  quest  of  shell-fish,  and  found  a  quantity  of  rock 
oysters ;  but  the  taste  was  so  strong  that  none  except  the 
blacks  could  eat  them.  Sometimes  a  few  fish,  left  by  the 
tide  in  holes  of  the  rocks,  were  caught ;  and  these  afforded 
Mr.  Page  and  the  captain  hearty  meals.  The  former  once 
ventured  on  the  reef,  but  the  sharp  coral  rock  cutting  his 
feet  like  a  knife,  he  was  glad  to  make  a  speedy  retreat. 
The  Lascars,  however,  unused  to  shoes  and  stockings,  and 
whose  soles  were  consequently  as  hard  as  horn,  trampled 
over  the  rocks  with  the  greatest  facility. 

About  a  fortnight  after  the  ship  struck,  the  putrefaction 
of  the  salt  water  and  cotton  in  the  hold,  began  to  exhale  a 
pestilential  efl^luvium  so  pernicious,  that  a  silver  spoon  placed 
between  decks  very  soon  became  black,  and  the  people 
quickly  sickened  from  its  effects.  Their  disorder  began 
wqth  an  excessive  swelling  of  the  face  and  head,  and  those 
who  were  quite  well  at  night,  appeared  so  much  disfigured 
in  the  morning,  that  it  required  some  degree  of  skill  to  rec- 
ognize them.  The  captain  was  also  taken  ill ;  but  his  was 
a  liver  complaint,  aggravated  by  subsisting  long  on  scarce 
any  thing  besides  rice  and  salt  beef:  he  was  in  a  very  short 
time  confined  to  bed,  and  daily  grew  worse.  The  whole 
crew  were  infected  with  disease ;  four  men  died  in  the  space 
of  a  week;  all  the  others  were  drooping;  the  carpenters 
grew  depressed,  and  the  rafts  went  slowly  on.  In  addition 
to  these  calamities,  the  ship  continued  to  yield  more  and 
more  ;  and  thus  her  company  remained  until  the  22d  of  De- 
cember. Then,  to  their  great  surprise,  a  sail  was  seen  to 
the  eastward,  standing  towards  the  wreck.  This  they  sup- 
posed a  Malay  vessel  blown  off  the  coast  of  Borneo,  and, 
well  aware  of  the  savage  disposition  of  the  Malays,  the 
people  of  the  Fanny  were  anxious  to  avoid  any  communi- 
cation with  them :   the   reef  being  between   her  and  their 


AN    AMERICAN    BRIG    OFFERS    THEM    ASSISTANCE.    '    315' 

vessel,  they  could  not  approach  without  much  difficulty. 
No  signal  was  therefore  made  until  she  came  so  near  as  to 
show  American  colors ;  an  English  flag  was  then  hoisted, 
with  the  union  down,  as  a  signal  of  distress.  The  Ameri- 
can vessel  then  hove  to,  at  about  the  distance  of  two  miles, 
and  sent  off  her  boat :  only  one  passage  through  the  reef, 
over  which  the  sea  broke  furiously,  could  admit  its  entry  ; 
and  Mr.  Page,  apprehensive  the  strangers  might  miss  it, 
went  out  in  the  Chinese  boat  with  three  men.  Reaching 
the  extremity  of  the  reef,  a  signal  induced  the  Americans  to 
come  abreast  of  him,  and  they  waved  for  him  to  pass  the 
surf,  which  ran  high.  This  he  could  have  accomplished  ; 
but  he  reflected  that,  should  he  get  into  deep  water  on  the 
outside,  it  might  be  impossible  for  him  to  return  to  the 
wreck,  and  he  would  then  be  necessitated  to  abandon  his 
companions.  Such  a  measure  was  inconsistent  with  his 
feelings ;  therefore,  after  ineffectual  endeavors  to  meet,  the 
Americans  returned  to  their  ship,  which  made  sail  from  the 
reef,  and  Mr.  Page  returned  to  the  wreck. 

The  shipwrecked  mariners,  after  this  transient  glimpse 
of  deliverance,  concluded  that  the  vessel  had  proceeded 
straightway  on  her  voyage.  But  here  they  were  mistaken, 
for  she  reappeared  at  noon,  and  again  sent  off  her  boat. 
The  crew  made  several  attempts  to  get  through  the  surf; 
they  said  they  belonged  to  the  brig  Pennsylvania,  from  Phila- 
delphia, bound  to  China,  had  been  out  forty-three  days  from 
Malacca,  and  were  going  the  eastern  passage,  which  ac- 
counted for  their  being  in  these  unfrequented  seas.  They 
brought  a  note  from  their  captain,  offering  immediately  to 
convey  the  Fanny's  people  from  the  wreck,  and  next  morn- 
ing to  take  what  rigging  and  stores  might  be  necessary.  But 
the  English  captain  indiscreetly  answered  this  humane  pro- 
posal, by  declaring  his  determination  to  take  his  chance  in 
the  floats  then  constructing,  though  any  of  his  people  who 
wished  it  might  go.  The  chief  mate  of  the  American,  hear- 
ing these  words,  took  Mr.  Page  aside,  and  counselled  him 
not  to  neglect  such  an  opportunity,  but  accompany  him  on 
board  of  the  brig.  Mr.  Page,  however,  restrained  by  a 
strong  sense  of  duty,  and  apprehensive  that  the  motives  of 
his  conduct  might  be  misconstrued,  replied,  "  that  he  was 


316  THE    LOSS    OF    THE     SHIP    FANNY. 

sorry  the  captain  had  taken  such  a  desperate  resolution  ;  he 
was  deterred  by  duty  from  leaving  him,  but  hoped  that  he 
would  take  care  of  the  Lascars." 

With  this  answer,  the  mate  returned  to  his  ship ;  when, 
his  commander,  learning  that  Captain  Robertson  and  Mr. 
Page  were  inflexible,  directed  him  immediately  to  carry 
them  a  few  trifling  articles,  such  as  sugar,  vinegar,  bread, 
and  the  like,  desiring  him  to  say,  that  he  would  now  take 
only  four  persons  on  board,  who  must  be  Christians.  Four 
Portuguese  were  therefore  selected,  who  left  the  wreck,  car- 
rying some  cordage  and  sails  along  with  them,  and  joined 
the  brifj;.  Next  morning  she  was  seen  at  a  s^reat  distance, 
and  at  ten  at  night  was  out  of  sight. 

Next  day,  being  Christmas,  passed  but  gloomily,  from  a 
retrospect  of  many  happy  festivals  passed  at  that  season 
with  friends  at  home,  and  contrasting  them  with  present  oc- 
currences. 

By  means  of  the  sugar  and  other  articles,  the  captain's 
health  was  so  far  reestabhshed  that  he  was  enabled  to  super- 
intend the  construction  of  the  floats,  which  were  at  length 
completed  on  the  last  day  of  the  year.  No  description  can 
convey  an  adequate  idea  of  their  appearance.  In  some 
measure  they  resembled  two  large  boxes  or  chests,  the  fore- 
part projecting  in  an  angle  of  45^,  like  English  barges. 
Each  was  seventeen  feet  and  a  half  long  at  the  bottom,  and 
from  projecting  before,  twenty  feet  long  above.  They  were 
five  feet  deep,  five  feet  broad  below;  and  as  the  sides  pro- 
jected in  the  same  manner  as  the  forepart,  but  only  to  an 
angle  of  15°,  the  extreme  breadth  was  eight  feet.  Consid- 
ering the  number  of  the  Fanny's  crew,  the  floats  were  very 
small,  and  their  size  not  admitting  of  a  deck,  they  were 
entirely  open.  To  make  them  as  strong  as  possible,  planks 
had  been  ripped  off  the  sides,  and  copper  off  the  bottom  of 
the  ship ;  and  now  other  three  days  were  occupied  in  get- 
ting in  rigging,  sails,  provisions,  and  water. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1804,  every  thing  being  prepared, 
the  crew  of  the  Fanny  embarked  in  the  floats,  after  remain- 
ing nine  weeks  by  the  wreck  on  the  rocks.  The  captain, 
Mr.  Page,  and  other  Europeans,  to  the  total  number  of 
tuenty-three,  were  in  the  first,  and  twenty-four  natives  of 


THE  RESOLVE  TO  EMBARK  FOR  MALACCA. 


317 


the  East  in  the  second.  Their  stay  on  the  rocks  had  ren- 
dered their  appearance  famihar,  and  had  inured  them  to 
those  hardships  inseparable  from  their  situation.  By  a 
longer  abode,  they  would  have  been  exposed  to  certain 
destruction.  Yet  the  dangers  of  departure  in  two  such 
frail  and  insufficient  vessels  were  little  less.  Wanting  a 
deck,  and  being  so  flat  before  and  in  the  sides,  hazarded 
any  sidelong  sea  filling  these  vessels,  and  carrying  them 
down.  The  nearest  place  that  could  be  reached,  with  any 
safety,   was  Malacca,   eleven    hundred    miles   distant;    for 


The  Crew  of  the  Fanny  departing  from  the  Reef. 

though  Pulo  Auro  was  within  eight  hundred  miles,  its 
inhabitants  were  a  class  of  barbarous  Malays,  whose  mer- 
ciless disposition  there  was  too  great  reason  to  dread.  Yet 
those  unfortunate  mariners  considered  any  alternative  pref- 
erable to  remaining  on  the  rocks ;  and  hopeless  as  the 
object  seemed,  they  resolved  to  attempt  reaching  Ma- 
lacca. 

Eleven  muskets,  with  some  ammunition,  were  taken  from 
the  Fanny  into  the  float  with  the  Europeans,  judging  that 
they  could  make  better  use  of  them  than  the  Lascars,  who 
27* 


318  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SHIP    FANNY. 

are  never  well  disposed  for  fighting.  They  next  fastened 
the  little  Chinese  boat  astern,  and,  trusting  in  the  pro- 
tection of  Providence,  -again  committed  themselves  to  the 
waves. 

The  adventurers,  however,  had  an  inauspicious  outset ; 
for,  in  endeavoring  to  get  over  the  reef,  both  floats  grounded, 
and  beat  so  violently  two  hours,  as  to  be  in  danger  of  going 
to  pieces ;  but  finding  a  hollow,  with  eight  feet  water,  they 
cast  anchor  for  the  night.  However,  the  copper  was  beat 
off  the  bottom  of  one  float,  which  rendered  baihng  neces- 
sary during  the  whole  night,  and  the  other  remained 
aground.  Next  morning,  both  were  got  to  the  outside  of 
the  reef,  with  the  assistance  of  the  small  boat.  The  same 
Lascar,  who  had  refused  working  on  the  wreck,  poisoned 
himself  with  a  quantity  of  opium,  whether  induced  by  the 
reproach  of  conscience,  or  unable  to  bear  the  taunts  of  his 
messmates. 

When  the  float  with  the  Europeans  reached  the  sea,  it 
proved  to  be  only  nine  inches  out  of  the  water,  whence  the 
spray  constantly  washed  in.  Another  plank,  nine  inches 
broad,  was  on  that  account  run  along,  and  over  it  a  length 
of  canvass,  which  still  did  not  keep  it  dry.  Two  of  the 
Lascars  were  then  put  info  the  small  boat,  and  they  got 
directions  for  steering ;  and  at  night  a  lantern  was  hoisted 
at  the  mast-head  of  the  first  float,  to  guide  the  Lascars  in 
the  second.  In  the  course  of  the  following  day,  the  inat- 
tention of  the  steersman  allowed  this  float  to  get  into  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  which,  breaking  at  the  time,  half  filled  it 
immediately ;  all  hands  were  thence  employed  in  bailing, 
until  it  came  before  the  wind.  But  had  the  same  accident 
happened  again,  it  must  have  been  fatal  to  all  without  ex- 
ception. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  there  was  no  appearance  of  the 
float  with  the  Lascars ;  and  the  Europeans,  after  standing 
under  easy  sail  for  her  during  the  day,  concluded  that  she 
must  have  foundered  in  the  night.  Thus  they  proceeded 
on  their  course,  not  void  of  apprehension  that  they  should 
soon  share  the  same  fate.  The  sea  ran  higher  the  farther 
they  got  into  the  open  ocean ;  but  the  little  boat  astern  rose 
remarkably  well  to  the  waves,  and  as  the  lives  of  those  it 


THE  BOAT  UPSET A  LASCAR  DROWNED.      319 

contained  depended  on  their  strength,  Mr.  Page  continually 
enjoined  their  vigilance.  His  nistructions  were  not  neg- 
lected; but  unfortunately  a  heavy  sea  overset  the  boat  at 
eleven  at  night  on  the  9th  of  January.  Both  the  men 
washed  out  were  heard  exclaiming  in  despair,  Allah! 
Allah !  and  imploring  their  comrades  for  assistance,  which 
they  knew  not  hovv^  to  give.  One,  however,  fortunately 
seized  the  boat's  tow-rope,  and  was  taken  into  the  float ;  the 
other  was  seen  no  more.  It  was  a  remarkable  circumstance, 
and  could  not  fail  to  make  a  strong  impression  on  super- 
stitious minds,  that  two  enormous  sharks  had  day  and  night 
kept  pace  with  this  little  boat  from  the  time  of  its  leaving 
the  rocks.  One  swam  on  each  side,  generally  with  the  back 
fins  above  water;  but  after  the  man  was  lost,  they  were  never 
observed  again. 

The  boat  was  then  cut  away  from  the  stern  of  the  float, 
as  it  proved  an  impediment  to  its  way ;  but  the  sea,  always 
rising  higher  and  higher,  became  so  tremendous  about  the 
seventeenth  day  of  the  voyage,  as  to  inspire  all  the  adven- 
turers with  the  utmost  alarm  for  their  safety.  Their  situa- 
tion, besides,  was  deplorable  ;  the  captain  had  lost  the  use  of 
his  limbs,  and  a  dreadful  scurvy  had  broken  out  among  the 
crew ;  ten  were  incapable  of  duty  ;  their  gums  and  throats 
became  so  putrid,  as  almost  to  preclude  them  from  swallow- 
ing; wounds,  healed  for  years,  now  broke  out  with  their 
former  inveteracy,  and  one  man  had  just  died  in  excruci- 
ating agony. 

Nevertheless,  the  mariners  surmounted  all  their  diffi- 
culties. On  the  23d  of  January,  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
southern  Anambas,  and  on  the  26th  were  driven  westward 
by  the  current  to  Pulo  Tingey,  an  uninhabited  island.  Here 
they  engaged  in  an  unsuccessful  search  for  some  antidote 
against  the  scurvy  during  two  days ;  but  they  filled  their 
casks  with  fresh  water,  and  resumed  their  course.  A  brig 
was  seen  at  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  bound  to 
the  Island  of  Bentang,  for  pepper ;  and  her  captain,  having 
given  the  Europeans  some  provisions,  counselled  them  to 
keep  close  in  to  the  Malay  shore,  the  straits  being  then  in- 
fested with  pirates.  In  a  recent  engagement  with  them,  his 
chief  mate  had  been  killed,  himself  wounded,  and  his  ship 
grievously  damaged. 


320  THE    LOSS    OF    THE    SHIP    FANNF. 

The  Europeans  were  carried  by  the  strength  of  the  cur- 
rent down  on  the  coast  of  Sumatra,  which  they  were  so 
anxious  to  avoid  ;  and  after  five  days  occupied  in  crossing 
the  straits  to  Malacca,  they  arrived  off  the  harbor  on  the 
4th  of  February.  By  a  fishing-boat,  wiiich  they  met  six 
miles  from  shore,  they  despatched  a  note  to  the  governor, 
who  speedily  sent  two  boats,  with  provisions  and  instructions, 
to  tow  them  in.  Thus  they  gained  the  shore,  having  been 
a  whole  month  on  such  a  perilous  voyage,  and  in  hourly  ex- 
pectation of  sinking ;  the  float  was  safely  moored,  and  the 
sick  removed  to  the  hospital. 

Thousands  now  came  to  visit  the  adventurers ;  and  the 
gentlemen  of  the  settlement,  by  the  kindest  attention,  strove 
to  obliterate  their  misfortunes.  The  captain  was  taken  on 
shore  and  properly  treated  ;  but  Mr.  Page  preferred  re- 
maining five  days  in  the  float,  which,  in  the  next  place, 
was  sold,  with  all  its  appurtenances,  for  eight  hundred 
dollars. 

Soon  afterwards,  a  vessel  came  into  Malacca,  having  a 
I.ascar  on  board,  belonging  to  the  other  float,  which  was 
supposed  to  have  foundered  at  sea.  According  to  his 
relation,  she  had  steered  right  before  the  wind,  until  reach- 
ing a  small  island  near  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  where  the 
crew  went  ashore  for  water.  There  the  savage  and  inhu- 
man Malays  attacked  the  Lascars,  exhausted  with  fatigue 
and  famine,  and  barbarously  murdered  them  in  cold  blood ; 
only  one  escaped,  who,  stealing  a  canoe,  reached  Rhio,  in 
the  Island  of  Bentang,  which  forms  the  southernmost  part 
of  the  straits,  where  he  obtained  a  passage  in  the  ship  which 
carried  him  to  Malacca.  Thus  were  those  unfortunate 
beings  doomed  to  become  the  victims  of  a  ferocious  tribe, 
after  being  spared  by  the  ocean ;  and  those  who  were 
miraculously  preserved,  did  not  cease  to  thank  Providence 
for  the  mercy  they  had  experienced.  Indeed  the  circum- 
stances of  their  preservation  were  wonderful:  first,  the 
Fanny  had  to  encounter  one  of  the  most  tremendous  gales 
under  which  a  ship  could  live;  secondly,  that  being  wrecked 
on  a  reef  of  rocks  in  the  centre  of  the  Chinese  Ocean,  she 
was  not  dashed  to  pieces,  and  remained  entire  so  long  as  to 
admit  of  two  floats  being  constructed  from  the  materials  of 


THE    ULTIMATE    FATE    OF    THE    CREW.  321 

which  she  was  herself  composed  ;  and,  thirdly,  that  twenty- 
three  persons  should  sail  eleven  hundred  miles  through  a 
tempestuous  sea,  for  thirty  days,  in  such  miserable  contri- 
vances, and  at  last  gain  a  port  of  safety. 

Mr.  Page  obtained  a  passage  to  Bombay  in  the  Minerva, 
which  came  into  Malacca  about  twenty  days  after  his  own 
arrival  there. 

The  crew  of  the  Fanny  consisted  originally  of  sixty-four 
persons,  to  whom  were  added  seven,  making  in  all         71 
Killed  by  the  fall  of  the  m.ast  in  the  typhoon     1 

Died  at  sea 5 

Died  on  the  rocks 1 

Poisoned   himself  in   the  Lascars'   float     .     .     1 

Murdered  by  the  Malays 26 

Died  of  the  scurvy  in  the  Europeans'  float     .      1 

Washed  out  of  the  boat 1 

Dead  —  36 
The  chief  mate  and  his  servant  went  on  shore 
at  tiainan,   with   four  men     .....     6 

Ran  away  with  the  long-boat 4 

Missing  —  10 

Portuguese  taken  off  the  rock 4 

Landed   at   Malacca  from   the  float  of   Eu- 
ropeans  20 

Landed   from   the   Lascars'   float     ....     1 

Preserved  —  25 

—  71 


m 


THE    MIRACULOUS    ESCAPE 

OF 

A   LASCAR, 

WHO     WAS 

WASHED  OVERBOARD   DURING   A   GALE 

IN    THE 

BAY   OF  BENGAL, 

AND 

After  swimming  thirteen  Hours,  without  any  Support, 
was  picked  up  by  a  passing  Ship ;  June,  1823. 

lERHAPS  the  hand  of  Heaven  was  never 
more  conspicuous  than  in  the  following 
narration.  In  1823,  the  ship  Valletta, 
Captain  Eraser,  on  her  passage  from 
Calcutta  to  Penang,  where  she  arrived 
in  distress,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th 
of  June,  picked  up  a  man  at  sea,  who 
had  been  struggling  with  the  waves  for  upwards  of  thirteen 
hours,  without  any  support. 

About  6,  A.  M.,  it  then  being  Mr.  Dickens's  watch,  the 
second  officer  of  the  ship  —  at  that  time  a  very  heavy  sea 
running,  the  ship  under  double-reefed  topsails  and  foresail, 
mizzen-topsail  handed,  the  topgallant-yards  upon  deck,  and 
the  vessel  laboring  heavily  —  thought  he  heard  the  cries  of  a 
man  at  some  short  distance  from  the  ship ;  on  looking  to 
the  spot,  plainly  perceived  something  floating  in  the  water, 
which,  by  the  assistance  of  a  good  glass,  he  found  was  a  man 
swimming  towards  the  ship,  who  occasionally  held  up  his 
hand  as  a  signal  of  distress ;  gave  the  alarm  instantly,  on 
which  we  wore  ship  and  stood  towards  him,  lowered  the 


A    LASCAR    SAILOR    RESCUED.  323 

gig  down,  and  sent  her,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Dickens  and  four 
other  volunteers,  to  the  assistance  of  the  drowning  man. 
Providence  favored  this  little  band  of  volunteers,  who, 
although  in  a  leaky,  crazy  boat,  succeeded  in  saving  him. 
At  half  past  T  o'clock,  A.  M.,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  on 
board,  the  gig  came  alongside  with  the  man,  who  proved  to 
be  a  Lascar,  belonging  to  the  ship  Arram,  Captain  Daniels, 
from  Rangoon,  bound  to  Madras.  From  the  heavy  rolling 
of  the  ship,  the  gig  was  nearly  stove  to  pieces  in  hoisting  her 
up ;  she,  however,  had  done  her  duty,  for  she  had  saved  a 
fellow-creature. 

The  poor  fellow  was  so  completely  exhausted,  that  the 
moment  he  came  on  board  he  fell  fast  asleep.  On  his  re- 
covery, we  were  of  course  anxious  to  hear  his  account.  He 
informed  us  that  the  evening  previous,  about  6,  he  was 
forward  in  the  head  of  the  vessel:  a  heavy  sea,  which  broke 
over  her,  washed  him  from  his  hold.  It  was  then  blowing 
hard,  and  he  imagined  that  was  the  reason  they  could  not 
lower  a  boat  for  him ;  at  the  same  time,  a  heavy  squall  was 
brewing,  which,  by  the  time  it  became  more  moderate,  was 
so  very  dark  that  he  could  not  see  the  ship  or  any  thing 
else.  During  the  night,  there  was  nothing  but  incessant 
squalls,  with  heavy  rain,  every  one  of  which  broke  over  him  : 
the  hope,  however,  of  the  ship  staying  by  him,  encouraged 
him  to  keep  up  his  spirits  till  daylight,  when  seeing  us,  and 
thinking  we  were  his  own  ship,  made  him  exert  himself, 
though  nearly  going  down.  At  the  time  of  our  wearing 
round  towards  him,  he  imagined  we  were  going  to  leave 
him  to  his  fate,  on  which  he  began  to  droop  and  burst  into 
tears,  now  giving  up  every  hope  of  being  saved.  By  this 
time,  the  ship  had  wore  round,  and  stood  towards  him.  On 
seeing  this,  his  spirits  began  again  to  revive,  and  much  more 
so  when,  on  the  top  of  a  heavy  sea,  he  perceived  our  boat 
pulling  towards  him.  He  informed  us  that  at  the  time  we 
picked  him  up,  he  could  not  have  lived  half  an  hour  longer. 
On  the  6th  of  June,  we  fell  in  and  spoke  the  Arram,  inform- 
ing them  of  the  circumstance.  A  boat  was  now  sent  for  him, 
and  the  poor  fellow  was  once  more  restored  to  his  ship,  ship- 
mates, and  friends,  by  one  of  those  remarkable  events  which 
plainly  show  us  that  man  should  never  despair,  as  the  hand 
of  Providence  is  at  all  times  ready  to  save  us. 


AN    ACCOUNT 


WRECK   OF   THE   BRIG   ALNA, 

ON     THE 

COAST    OF    EAST    FLORIDA, 


The  Massacre  of  the  Officers,  and  Part  of  the  Crew, 
by  the  Seminole  Indians ;  and  the  Escape  and  snh- 
sequent  Adventures  and  Sufferings  of  two  of  the 
Crew ;  September,  1838. 


|N  the  19th  of  August,  1838,  the  brig 
Alna,  of  Portland,  Maine,  Captain 
Thomas,  sailed  from  St.  Jago  de 
Cuba,  bound  to  Boston.  Owing  to 
light  and  baffling  winds,  it  was  some 
time  before  the  vessel  got  round  the 
island,  when  she  took  her  departure 
from  Matanzas,  and  left  the  coast  with  a  light  breeze. 
But  on  the  5th  of  September,  it  came  on  to  blow  very 
hard  ;  the  sail  on  her  was  reduced,  but  the  wind  still  in- 
creased, so  that  on  the  7th  it  blew  a  violent  gale  from  the 
north-east.  The  brig  was  about  fifteen  miles  off  the  Florida 
coast,  and  drifting  rapidly  on  a  lee  shore.  A  heavy  press 
of  canvass  was  now  carried,  to  endeavor,  if  possible,  to  claw 
off.  But  the  head  of  the  bowsprit  was  carried  away;  and 
the  sea  making  a  clear  breach  over  her,  sweeping  the  decks 
fore  and  aft,  the  brig  was  again  hove  to,  but  drifted  rap- 
idly to  leeward.  As  it  was  found  impossible  to  keep  the 
vessel  off  the  land,  the  captain  determined  to  run  her  on 
shore   in  the   daytime,   so  as  to  have  a  better  chance  of 


THE    INDIANS    SHOOT    THE    CAPTAIN    AND    MATE.        325 

saving  the  lives  of  those  on  board.  Accordingly,  the  main- 
sail was  lowered,  and  the  helm  put  hard  up.  The  vessel 
soon  struck  the  bottom,  about  twenty  miles  north  of  Cape 
Florida,  and  was  shortly  after  lifted  so  high  on  the  beach 
by  the  heavy  breakers,  that  the  crew  could  easily  jump  from 
her  to  the  shore.  As  the  tide  ebbed,  great  exertions  were 
made  to  land  the  stores  and  clothing ;  and  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  provisions  and  water  were  secured  on  the  beach 
to  last  a  month.  Here  the  unfortunate  captain  and  his 
crew  remained  until  Sunday,  the  9th  of  September.  "  On 
that  fatal  day,  about  noon,"  says  Mr.  Wyer,  "  the  first 
Indians  which  appeared  nigh  our  tent  were  four  in  num- 
ber. They  were  armed  with  rifles.  The  mate  was  pack- 
ing his  clothes  in  his  chest,  which  he  had  been  drying 
that  day ;  and  the  first  notice  we  had  of  the  Indians 
was  the  smart  crack  of  a  rifle  ;  and  at  the  same  instant  the 
mate  exclaimed,  '  O  dear ! '  having  received  the  ball  in  his 
hand,  passing  into  the  abdomen,  as  we  supposed.  The 
same  Indian,  being  behind  a  tree,  reloaded,  and  marked  me 
for  his  next  object,  (myself,  Cammett,  and  Captain  Thomas, 
crouching  down,)  which  gave  me  the  ball  through  the  hand, 
passing  up  laterally  through  the  thigh,  coming  out  just  be- 
low the  hip  joint,  making  a  journey  through  the  flesh  of  eight 
or  nine  inches.  We  took  to  the  beach,  (it  being  warm,  we 
were  barefooted,)  and  they  pursued  us.  Captain  Thomas, 
having  taken  a  long  walk  with  Cammett,  was  tired,  and  gave 
out.  We  halted,  being  thirty  yards  ahead  of  him,  to  see 
what  his  fate  might  be.  I  saw  him  shot,  the  ball  whizzing 
by  me;  and  he  fell  on  his  face,  and  seemed  to  die  instantly. 
After  this,  we  expected  no  quarter,  if  taken.  I  felt  approach- 
ing weakness  from  loss  of  blood,  and  feared  I  must  soon 
give  up.  We  very  soon  entered  the  bushes,  Cammett  going 
ahead.  I  soon  lost  him,  and  made  my  way  along  till  night, 
among  the  palmettoes,  which  cut  my  feet  cruelly  ;  added  to 
this,  were  mosquitoes,  which  were  a  formidable  foe.  At 
dark,  on  Sunday  night,  I  came  out  on  the  beach,  and  trav- 
elled till  nearly  daylight.  Finding  my  wounds  bleeding  pro- 
fusely, I  tore  off*  the  bottom  of  my  flannel  shirt,  and  bound 
them  up,  —  which  continued  to  bleed  all  the  next  day.  I 
lay  down,  and  sometimes  fell  down,  often  thinking  I  should 
not  be  able  to  rise  again.  My  fears  were  increased  from  the 
28 


326 


THE    WRECK    OF    THE    BRIG    ALNA. 


The  Death  of  Captain  Thomas,  and  Escape  of  VVj^er  and  Cammett. 

trail  of  blood  which  I  left  behind,  knowing  this  to  be  a  good 
mark  for  them.  Monday  I  continued  to  travel  the  beach  — 
went  to  the  river,  running  parallel  with  the  sea,  for  water  — 
ate  nothing  that  day  —  came  to  New  River,  waded  in  to  my 
neck,  and  swam  off,  finding  the  current  setting  from  both 
shores  to  the  centre,  making  it  very  doubtful  to  me,  from 
the  long  time  I  was  there,  whether  I  could  ever  reach  the 
opposite  shore.  Here  I  was  about  to  despair.  I  finally  got 
foothold  and  gained  the  shore,  but  found  myself  very  much 
exhausted.  I  should  think  the  river  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide.  It  was  about  night.  I  kept  on  —  occasionally  would 
lie  down  during  the  night,  gathering  the  sea-weed  to  cover 
me,  while  asleep  —  when  I  awoke,  would  go  on  again  till 
weary,  and  then  take  a  nap. 

'  Tuesday  morning,  fair  weather  —  saw  a  house  ahead, 
which  proved  to  be  the  Patterson  House,  as  I  was  told  by 
the  wreckers.  It  is  a  one-story  frame  house,  and  has  a  long 
time  been  vacated.  I  hoped  here  to  find  something  to 
satisfy  my  hunger,  but  I  was  disappointed.  Here  was  an- 
other river  to  swim.  For  the  first  time,  I  saw  two  large  alli- 
gators ;  and  the  river  was  full  of  sharks  of  the  largest  kind. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  INHABITANT  ON  A  TREE.      327 

I  was  divested  of  fear,  and  in  I  plunged,  and  landed  safe  on 
the  other  side,  feeling  no  enemy  to  be  worse  than  the  In- 
dians. I  travelled  on,  my  feet  being  very  sore  —  oftentimes 
would  climb  a  tree  to  see  if  any  danger  was  at  hand,  and 
hoping  to  see  marks  of  civilization,  to  encourage  me  in  my 
lonely  journey  —  ate  nothing  this  day  —  swam  and  forded 
several  small  streams  and  creeks,  which  was  very  painful  in 
my  wounded  situation. 

"Wednesday  morning  came  with  fair  weather — continued 
my  journey  as  the  day  previous  —  clambered  a  tree,  and 
found  a  huge  snake  had  ascended  before  me:  he  lay  out  on 
one  of  the  hmbs,  coiled  up,  as  if  asleep.  I  was  well  armed 
with  a  club,  but  took  good  care  not  to  arouse  him.  His 
size  round  was  as  large  as  my  ankle.  I  had  been  without 
food  three  days  and  nights,  and  was  very  hungry.  I  hoped 
to  find  something  to  eat  among  the  wrecked  matter  that  had 
washed  up  to  the  shore,  but  found  nothing  but  dead  fish ; 
and  it  was  a  hard  scramble  to  know  whether  I  or  the  peli- 
cans and  other  birds  should  be  served  first,  as  they  exist  in 
acres,  and  are  so  numerous  that  fish  are  all  taken  up  before 
they  get  old.  A  dead  fish  was  a  great  luxury  ;  and  when  I 
had  satiated  my  appetite,  I  would  put  them  on  my  hat  to 
dry,  while  journeying  on. 

"An  hour  or  two  before  sunset,  I  saw  two  sail,  that  did 
not  appear  to  notice  me ;  soon  after,  I  saw  two  more,  who 
were  in  pursuit  of  a  Dutch  brig.  I  now  hoisted  my  shirt 
on  a  pole,  and  waved  it  with  all  my  strength.  They  discov- 
ered me ;  and  happy  was  I  to  be  rescued  from  the  many 
perils  that  I  had  encountered.  Indians,  sharJcs,  the  mocassin 
snake,  arabs,  and  various  other  reptiles,  were  foes  in  my 
\yay ;  but,  thank  God,  I  have  been  spared  to  return  to  my 
friends,  and  tell  my  perilous  tale." 

Mr.  Cammett,  who  escaped  at  the  same  time  with  Wyer, 
when  the  captain  was  massacred,  says,  "  My  story,  in  re- 
gard to  the  shipwreck  of  the  Alna,  and  being  surprised  by 
the  Indians  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  cannot  be  otherwise 
than  the  same  as  Wyer's,  until  we  entered  the  bushes,  where 
we  unfortunately  got  separated.  I  renlained  quiet,  in  con- 
cealment, until  the  dusk  of  the  evening ;  then  I  thought  it 
prudent  to  start.  I  walked  across  the  beach  to  the  bushes, 
to  see  if  their  trail  continued  —  took  care  to  use  the  same 
tracks  back,  so  as  to  deceive  them — got  along  the  beach 


328  THE    WRECK    OF    THE    BRIG    ALNA. 

five  or  six  miles,  and  encountered  a  party  of  Indians.  They 
saw  me,  and  raised  a  horrid  yell,  and  pursued  me.  I  ran 
into  a  swamp,  where  the  mud  and  water  were  about  waist 
high.  Two  Indians  remained  where  I  entered,  while  the 
rest  seemed  to  be  surrounding  me :  they  avoided  the  water 
on  account  of  the  snakes,  the  wreckers  told  me. 

"I  was  about  an  hour  there  —  concluded  it  would  not  do 
to  stop  till  morning,  for  they  would  get  me  —  got  out,  and 
took  to  the  shore  —  was  careful  to  go  so  close  to  the  shore 
that  every  ripple  of  the  water  should  wash  out  my  tracks  — 
came  across  a  well  of  water  that  was  covered,  and  a  village 
of  low  huts,  said  to  have  been  some  old  barracks.  I  took 
them  to  be  Indian  huts ;  as  I  saw  no  tracks  beyond  them,  I 
was  puzzled  to  know  how  to  pass  them.  The  palmettoes 
were  like  sharks'  teeth,  and  made  a  noise  in  getting  through. 
I  was  then  on  the  border  of  the  river  —  finally  thought  I 
would  wade  up  to  my  neck,  that  no  trace  of  me  could  be 
seen  —  got  by  in  safety,  lost  their  tracks,  and  began  to  feel 
as  if  I  was  delivered. 

"  Monday,  still  on  the  river,  with  trees  and  bushes  grow- 
ing to  the  edge.  I  was  obliged  to  travel,  and  occasionally 
swim  round  —  came  to  a  place  which  I  took  to  be  two  rivers 
that  intersected  this.  I  swam  over,  and  found  it  to  be  an 
island  covered  with  water,  and  the  roots  of  the  trees  starting 
out  two  or  three  feet  above  ground,  making  a  sort  of  bridge 
to  walk  on  —  tasted  the  water,  and  found  it  fresh  ~  stopped 
and  rested  —  a  severe  current  on  both  sides.  Seeing  a 
number  of  sharks,  I  made  a  raft  of  drift-wood ;  but  it  was 
water-logged,  and  would  not  support  me  —  abandoned  it  — 
took  a  lot  of  drift-wood,  but  could  hardly  keep  it  under  me, 
the  force  of  the  current  being  so  severe  —  reached  the  shore 
in  safety;  there  I  found  the  sea-shore,  and  kept  on  till  12 
o'clock  on  Monday  night.  My  feet  were  deeply  cut  with 
shells  and  palmettoes,  and  ankles  so  swollen,  I  could  not 
bend  them  —  my  toes  raw  up  between,  and  cruelly  sore. 

"  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  swam  several  streams.  I  suf- 
fered with  the  intense  heat  —  had  no  hat,  and  was  obliged 
to  wet  my  head  to  keep  it  cool  —  found  a  tar-bucket  to 
carry  water  in — slept  on  board  a  wreck,  with  nothing  but 
a  quarter-deck  left  —  my  neck  so  swollen  with  mosquito 
bites  that  I  could  scarcely  move  my  head  —  ate  six  dead 
fish  on  Tuesday,  and  eight  on  Wednesday.     Wednesday 


THE    HUMANITY    OF    THE    WRECKERS.  329 

afternoon,  crawled  into  a  large  log.  The  hole  being  too 
short  to  admit  my  whole  length,  I  took  a  barrel  up  from  the 
shore  to  make  out  the  length.  Had  a  good  nap  —  waking, 
I  felt  something  under  my  chin  —  gave  it  a  brush  off — was 
stung  that  instant  by  a  centiped  —  got  up,  looked  out,  and 
saw  four  sloops  making  up  the  shore  —  wind  light  —  I  anx- 
iously kept  along  with  them,  but  they  did  not  see  me  —  no 
sleep  that  night. 

"At  daylight,  saw  them  standing  in  for  the  shore.  I 
seised  my  tar-bucket  to  a  long  pole,  with  my  knife  lanyard, 
and  hoisted  it  as  a  signal  of  distress ;  they  saw  it,  and  to 
my  unutterable  joy  I  was  taken  on  board  the  wrecking  sloop 
Mount  Vernon,  where  I  found  my  lost  friend,  Wyer,  who, 
to  my  astonishment,  called  my  name  from  over  the  side  of 
the  vessel.  Thus  ended  my  cruel  adventure;  and  not  till 
then  was  I  fully  sensible  of  my  soreness.  Under  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  I  have  been  saved  to  return  to  my  friends  in 
perfect  health." 

Those  who  were  murdered  by  the  Indians,  were  Cap- 
tain Charles  Thomas,  Andrew  J.  Plummer,  mate,  and  John 
Sheafe,  seaman,  all  of  Portland,  and  William  Reed,  of 
^alem,  cook.  The  only  survivors  were  Wyer  and  Cam- 
mett,  who  published  the  following  grateful  tribute :  — 

"It  is  our  humane  and  highly-pleasing  duty  to  say  of 
Captain  George  Alden  and  his  crew,  of  the  wrecking  sloop 
Mount  Vernon,  that  our  treatment  was  in  the  highest  de- 
gree kind,  hospitable,  over-generous  —  dressing  our  wounds, 
nursing  us  with  parental  kindness,  giving  us  clothing,  re- 
gretting, when  we  left,  that  they  had  no  money  to  give  us, 
and  all  of  us  feeling  as  if  attached  with  the  strongest  ties  of 
friendship.  On  board  of  the  Index  they  were  equally  hospi- 
table ;  and  on  board  the  revenue  cutter  Madison,  Captain 
Howard  (our  old  friend  and  acquaintance)  gave  us  a  feel- 
ing reception,  and  the  most  cordial  welcome. 

"  To  correct  wrong  impressions  and  wicked  prejudices, 
that  exist  against  the  wreckers  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  we 
feel  bound  by  every  thing  sacred  to  state,  that  instead  of 
being  'plunderers  and  pirates,'  as  they  are  often  repre- 
sented, it  is  the  height  of  their  ambition  to  save  lives  and 
property.  "  S.  CAMMETT, 

28  *  "  E.  WYER,  JuN." 


A    DETAIL 


Terrible  Proceedings  on  Board  of  an  Italian  Brig, 

THE 

ESPIRITO    SANTO, 


IN    WHICH 


THE   PLAGUE   BROKE   OUT, 

DURING 

A   VOYAGE   FROM   ALEXANDRIA   TOWARDS    LEGHORN} 

By  which  awful  Visitation  the  Crew  became  unable 
to  manage  the  Vessel,  and  she  was  wrecked  near 
Castle  Rossa,  on  the  Coast  of  Karamania,  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea;  March,  1833. 

BY    ONE    OF    THE    PASSENGERS, 

LIEUTENANT  A.    NOTT, 

OF     THE     HONORABLK     EAST     INDIA.     COMPANY'S     SERVICE. 

FTER  several  years'  active  duty  in  the 
Honorable  East  India  Company's  ser- 
vice, I  obtained  a  furlough  to  revisit 
my  native  land,  and  embarked  at  Bom- 
bay, on  the  3d  of  January,  1833,  in  a 
native  vessel ;  and  after  a  dangerous 
J  and  uncomfortable  voyage  of  three 
months  up  the  Red  Sea,  we  reached 
Suez,  vi^here  I  disembarked  and  crossed  the  isthmus  to 
Cairo.  As  the  plague  was  raging  with  great  violence  in 
Alexandria,  to  avoid  entering  the  city,  I  determined  to 
proceed   to   Rosetta,   and   thence  by  sea  to  the  port  of 


THE    SICK    ARE    CONFINED    IN    THE    LONG-BOAT.         831 

Alexandria,  so  as  to  obtain  a  vessel  without  landing.     I  was 
accompanied  by  a  young  military  friend. 

We  arrived  on  the  13th  of  March,  and  procured  a  pas- 
sage on  board  of  an  Italian  brig,  the  Espirito  Santo,  bound 
to  Leghorn,  and  sailed  on  the  day  of  our  arrival;  and,  as  we 
left  the  harbor,  we  could  not  but  congratulate  ourselves  on 
our  escape  from  the  abode  of  pestilence,  little  imagining 
that  the  germ  of  the  terrific  malady  was  latent  amongst  us. 
All  was  bustle,  gayety,  and  life  ;  the  breeze  was  fresh  and 
fair,  and  our  little  bark  sprang  gayly  forward.  Alexandria 
was  on  the  horizon,  but  its  domes  and  lofty  minarets  were 
fast  sinking  beneath  it,  and  the  sun  shone  upon  them  as 
gloriously  as  if  its  beams  were  not  illuminating  a  whitened 
sepulchre. 

We  had  been  seven  days  at  sea,  when  one  of  the  crew  was 
taken  ill,  and  died  on  the  following  evening.  I  was  some- 
what alarmed  at  the  account  given ;  a  suspicion  flashed 
across  my  mind  that  it  might  be  the  plague.  I  therefore 
requested  our  doctor,  a  young  Italian,  who  had  not,  I  was 
informed,  rendered  the  man  assistance  during  his  illness,  to 
examine  the  corpse;  and  he  at  once  reported,  though  with 
reluctance,  that  he  had  died  of  that  dreadful  disease.  The 
announcement  struck  every  one  with  astonishment  and 
horror.  Although  keenly  alive  to  our  fearful  situation,  my 
companions  and  I  affected  a  Mohammedan  calmness,  and 
passed  the  time  in  either  smoking  or  sleeping  in  a  part  of 
the  poop  we  had  appropriated  to  ourselves. 

Another  day  passed,  and  no  one  complained.  Already 
had  we  begun  to  indulge  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  con- 
fined to  the  individual  who  had  died ;  but  the  morrow  made 
us  acquainted  with  the  full  horrors  of  our  situation  —  three 
others  were  simultaneously  attacked  with  symptoms  which 
left  us  no  doubt  as  to  the  nature  of  their  disorder.  It  be- 
came necessary  to  adopt  the  best  precautionary  measures 
left  us  ;  and  I  suggested  that  the  long-boat,  which  is  always 
stowed  in-  the  middle  of  the  vessel,  should  be  cleared  for 
the  reception  of  the  infected,  and  such  refreshment  as  they 
wished  for  was  conveyed  to  them  by  long  poles.  Two 
speedily  died,  and  were  drawn  forth  by  hooks  attached  to 
the  ends  of  the  poles,  and  thrown  overboard ;  but  a  third 
lingered  for  some  hours,  and   in   the  delirium  which,  in 


332  THE  PLAGUE  ON  BOARD  OF  THE  ESPIRITO  SANTO. 

plague  cases,  usually  precedes  dissolution,  in  spite  of  all  the 
efforts  of  the  crew,  who  stood  with  poles,  oars,  &.C.,  to  pre- 
vent him,  he  crawled  from  the  boat,  and  endeavored  to 
make  his  way  to  the  after-part  of  the  vessel :  I  never  wit- 
nessed  so  ghastly  an   object.      Frantic  at  the  opposition 
offered  to  his  progress,  he  clutched  at  the  decks  with  des- 
perate violence ;  his  eyes  were  fixed  and  glaring,  and  the 
sahva  fell  from  his  lips  as  he  gnashed  his  teeth  or  bit  at  the 
staves  v/hich  intercepted  his  farther  progress.      Finding  he 
was  making  his  way  aft  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  I  suggested 
that  a  rope  should  be  thrown  over  him,  and  the  end  fastened 
to  the  launch.     My  suggestions  were  in  part  adopted  ;  but 
conceive   my  horror,   after  he  had  been  entangled  in  the 
noose,  to  perceive  a  Maltese  seaman  spring  up  the  rigging, 
run  the  end  through  a  block  on  the  fore  yard-arm,  and  pass 
it  below  !     In  vain  I  remonstrated  :   "  It  may  be  your  turn 
next,"  said  the  captain,  with  a  fiendish  sneer.     I  have  seen 
a  mad  dog  in  a  kind  of  area,  so  furious,  that  he  was  actually 
breaking  his  tusks  against  the  wooden  door;  but  when  a  gun 
was  brought  and  pointed  at  him,  before  it  was  discharged, 
all  his  ferocity  forsook  him ;  he  crawled  into  a  corner,  looked 
and  howled  imploringly  upwards.     Thus  it  was  with  this 
unfortunate  man.      The  crew  had  eagerly  seized  the  rope : 
in  broken  accents,  the  dying  wretch  implored  for  mercy  — 
mercy  in  a  plague  ship  !     He  was  swayed  over  the  side,  sus- 
pended for  a  moment  in  mid  air,  as  the  seaman  on  the  yard 
drew  forth  the  knife  from  his  girdle,  opened  it  with  his  teeth, 
and  severed  the  cord  :  a  splash,  one  faint  struggle,  and  the 
wild  waves  rolled  over  him  forever. 

I  affect  no  mawkish  sentiment,  nor  describe  any  over- 
wrought feelings ;  but  never,  to  the  latest  hours  of  my  ex- 
istence, will  that  man's  look  be  effaced  from  my  memory  — 
never  will  the  chill  of  horror  which  crept  over  me  at  the 
enactment  of  the  last  part  of  the  tragedy  be  forgotten.  I 
rejoined  my  companions ;  but  felt  faint  and  sick. 

Almost  indifferent  to  my  own  fate  at  the  moment,  I 
listened  with  apathy  to  an  old  Greek  merchant,  who  was 
relating  the  manner  in  which  the  plague  had  been  brought 
on  board.  What  will  not  man  risk  for  gain  ?  Our  com- 
mander, six  days  before  we  left,  had  received,  and  kept  con^ 
cealed  in  a  boat  towing  astern,  five  plague  patients  from  an- 


A  Man,  whilst  sick  with  the  Plague,  is  drawn  up  to  the  Yard  Arm,  and  cut  down 
by  a  Maltese  Sailor  —  Page  ^32. 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF     A    TURK.  335 

Other  vessel ;  and  although,  when  the  ship  sailed,  but  two 
survived,  those  two  were  permitted,  without  mention  being 
made  of  it,  to  mix  with  the  crew.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, the  only  wonder  is,  that  it  should  have  concealed 
itself  so  long.  Those  who  had  indulged  the  hope  that  their 
riddance  of  the  last  patient  had  exterminated  the  pestilence, 
were  again  doomed  to  disappointment.  Ere  the  sun  had 
set,  two  more  were  attacked,  and  about  eight  o'clock  a  third  : 
all  were  transferred  to  the  long-boat. 

Not  a  hope  of  our  escaping  if  we  remained  at  sea  was 
now  cherished,  and  the  vessel's  head  was  accordingly  put 
for  Rhodes.  In  the  course  of  an  hour,  the  Mohammedan 
portion  of  the  crew  were  already  wrapped  in  slumber ;  the 
Christians  (principally  Italians  and  Greeks)  were  either 
scattered  or  in  silent  groups  ;  here  and  there  a  sohtary  indi- 
vidual was  in  thought  at  home,  meditating  on  wife  and 
friends,  and  pledging  his  votive  offering  if  ever  he  joined 
them  in  safety  again.  The  wind  had  fallen  light,  and  the 
waves  surged  heavily  up  the  vessel's  side,  both  mingling  at 
intervals  with  the  groans  of  the  sufferers  in  the  long-boat. 
My  own  feelings  I  do  not  attempt  to  describe.  1  had  faced 
death  before  in  many  shapes ;  yet  never  did  I  feel  so  utterly 
depressed.  My  mind  had  received  a  shock  from  which  it 
was  not  doomed  it  should  quickly  recover.  I  watched  the 
greater  part  of  the  night,  and  at  length  sunk  into  that  heavy 
slumber  which  usually  follows  high  mental  excitement. 

I  awoke  next  day  at  sunrise.  Every  thing  appeared  in 
confusion  ;  the  yards  were  not  trimmed  to  the  breeze,  and 
as  the  braces  were  hanging  slack,  they  swung  lazily  to  and 
fro  with  the  motion  of  the  vessel.  The  men  looked  pale 
and  exhausted,  as  from  long  watching :  an  old  man,  about 
seventy  years  of  age,  proved  an  exception  ;  he  was  a  Turk, 
and  when  I  inquired  how  he  could  openly  break  the  precept 
of  his  religion,  by  quaffing  the  forbidden  wine,  he  told  me  it 
was  medicine,  and  repeated  an  Arabian  proverb,  equivalent 
to  our  "  Desperate  diseases  require  desperate  remedies." 
There  was  no  arguing,  had  I  felt  so  disposed,  with  such  a 
philosopher.  The  day  passed  away  heavily  enough  ;  about 
noon,  another  dead  body  was  removed  and  thrown  over- 
board from  the  charnel  house  —  the  long-boat  —  and  two 
more  patients  were  deposited  there. 


336  THE  PLAGUE  ON  BOARD  OF  THE  ESPIRITO  SANTO. 

Without  being  ill,  I  had  fancied  it  utterly  impossible  to 
shake  off  the  depression  of  spirits  under  which  I  labored. 
It  continued  to  increase  upon  me  until,  on  the  announce- 
ment of  supper,  I  went  down  with  the  others  ;  but  at  the 
sight  of  the  viands  I  felt  dizzy,  and  a  total  absence  of  ap- 
petite. Wishing  to  alarm  no  one,  I  quietly  withdrew  from 
the  table  to  my  cabin,  and  had  no  sooner  thrown  myself  on 
a  couch,  than  I  w^as  seized  with  a  convulsive  shuddering, 
which  was  succeeded  by  a  burning  fever:  My  companion, 
who  had  been  watching  my  increasing  paleness,  and  had 
seen  me  retire,  thought  all  was  not  right,  and  came  to  my 
cabin-door.  A  conviction  immediately  seized  him  as  to  the 
true  state  of  the  case  ;  but  wishing  to  soothe  me,  he  calm- 
ly remarked,  that  we  should  be  at  Rhodes  in  the  morning ; 
and  drew  forth  my  money  from  a  trunk,  and  placed  it  near 
my  pillow.  With  a  degree  of  moral  courage  which  does  him 
honor,  he  did  not  fear  to  moisten  my  lips  with  some  vinegar 
and  water  which  he  mixed  for  me  ;  and  then,  quietly  telling 
me  to  compose  myself,  and  I  should  be  better  on  the  mor- 
row, he  left  me,  to  go  on  deck. 

I  must  have  quickly  sunk  into  a  state  of  exhaustion  ;  for 
not  half  an  hour  elapsed  ere  he  approached  the  cabin  again, 
but  receiving  no  answer,  concluded  that  I  had  fallen  into 
a  doze ;  and  at  a  late  period  of  the  night,  both  he  and  the 
captain,  after  endeavoring  in  vain  to  rouse  me,  concluded 
I  was,  as  I  appeared  to  be,  dead.  The  morning  came  — 
I  awoke  with  the  keenest  torments :  my  eyeballs  felt  as  if 
they  protruded,  and  throbbed  with  fearful  violence.  I  suf- 
fered a  raging  thirst ;  a  burning  liquid  seemed  to  traverse 
my  veins  ;  my  brain  whirled  ;  I  again  passed  into  insensibil- 
ity, and  again  recovered  my  senses.  A  tumor  had  formed 
under  my  left  arm  :  this  was  sufficient  to  confirm  my  worst 
apprehensions  as  to  the  nature  of  my  affliction  ;  but,  strange 
to  say,  with  that  confirmation  returned  all  the  strength  of 
mind  or  firmness  it  may  be  my  good  fortune  to  possess. 
"  I  have  escaped,"  thought  I,  "  through  perils  nearly  as  great 
as  tins,  and,  under  the  protecting  hand  of  Providence,  I 
may  yet  recover."  I  lay  perfectly  quiet,  I  suppose  for  some 
hours,  and  then  was  roused  by  hearing  the  chain-cables  run- 
ning out.  This  ceased,  and  the  noise  was  followed  by  low 
meanings,  succeeded  by  louder  lamentations ;  yet  there  was 


DISTRESSING  SITUATION  OF  THOSE  IN  THE  LAUNCH.     337 

not  the  usual  din  nor  bustle  of  shipboard.  Eager,  notwith- 
standing ray  illness,  to  ascertain  what  was  doing,  I  crawled 
forth  from  my  couch  to  the  upper  deck,  and  saw  no  one  but 
the  cook  and  three  companions ;  they  were  crying  and  beat- 
ing their  breasts.  I  learnt  that  the  captain,  and  those  of  the 
crew  and  passengers  who  remained  in  health,  finding  they 
were  sufficiently  near  the  shore,  had  lowered  the  only  boat, 
had  crowded  into  her,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way 
towards  it,  leaving  myself  and  my  companions  in  misery  to 
our  fate.  Just  before  they  pushed  off,  they  cut  away  the 
anchors  ;  there  was,  however,  no  bottom,  and  we  were  drift- 
ing slowly  with  the  wind  and  current  towards  the  land.  I 
again  crawled  towards  the  poop,  where  I  seated  myself  near 
a  jar  of  water,  (for  my  thirst  continued  unabated,)  to  await 
further  events.  My  companions  crowded  around  me  ;  four 
persons  were  in  the  launch  —  two  dead,  and  two  unable  to 
move,  yet  lingering — one,  an  Italian  gentleman,  had  occu- 
pied his  horrid  tenement  three  days :  their  groans  were  truly 
heart-rending.  At  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  from  the  shore,  our  anchors  took  the  ground  :  it  was 
a  bold,  rocky-looking  country,  with  a  range  of  high  moun- 
tains in  the  distance  ;  on  the  beach  we  could  perceive  the 
crew  and  passengers,  who  beckoned  ns  to  land,  but  in  mere 
mockery,  for  they  had  taken  our  only  boat,  had  we  been 
capable  of  managing  one.  My  companions,  half  frantic  at 
their  desperate  condition,  determined,  in  spite  of  all  remon- 
strances from  me,  to  slip  the  cables,  which  they  did,  and 
we  again  drifted  towards  the  shore.  Fortunately,  it  was 
steep,  and  when  we  struck,  we  were  not  more  than  twenty 
yards  distant ;  but  how  were  we  to  get  on  land  ?  The 
mate,  who  had  been  only  suffering  from  slight  fever,  and 
was  now  well,  at  length,  at  my  suggestion,  swam  to  the 
shore  with  a  rope,  one  end  of  which  was  fastened  to  a 
rock,  and  the  other  the  crew  made  fast  to  the  shrouds  of 
the  main  rigging;  upon  this  a  noose  was  formed,  reaching 
to  the  gunwale,  in  which  my  companions,  with  the  exception 
of  those  in  the  launch,  seated  themselves,  and  were  drawn 
by  another  rope  to  the  shore.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
cook,  I,  with  immense  exertion,  placed  myself  in  the  noose. 
As  I  was  drawn  from  the  gunwale,  I  swung  round,  and 
caught  the  look  and  expression  of  the  poor  old  Italian  gen- 
29 


338    THE    PLAGUE    ON    BOARD    OF    THE    ESPIRITO    SANTQ. 

tleman  in  the  launch  —  it  was  so  despairing,  so  mournful, 
SO  reproachful,  that  I  closed  my  eyes,  I  grew  dizzy  and 
weak,  and,  as  I  drew  near  the  shore,  became  utterly  in- 
capable of  holding  longer,  and  fell  headlong  into  the  sea. 
As  I  rose  to  the  surface,  a  seaman  put  forth  an  oar  to  me, 
which  I  grasped,  and  was  in  that  manner  drawn  to  land, 
which  I  had  no  sooner  reached,  than  I  sank  senseless. 

When  I  came  to  myself,  I  found  my  companion  seated 
beside  me,  who  said,  "  Before  I  quitted  the  vessel,  I  was 
going  to  your  cabin,  for  the  purpose,  if  possible,  of  rousing 
you  to  accompany  me ;  but  on  my  way  I  met  the  com- 
mander, who  told  me  he  had  just  left  it,  and  that  you  were 
dead,  and,  villain  as  he  is,  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  be- 
lieve he  thought  you  were  so.  When,  however,  I  still  per- 
sisted in  going  to  decide  for  myself,  he  intimated  that  if  I 
did  not  forthwith  step  into  the  boat,  he  would  push  off.  I 
was  obliged  to  comply,  but  it  was  only  with  the  hope  that  I 
should  be  able  to  again  visit  the  vessel ;  that  hope  vanished 
when  we  approached  the  shore,  for  the  boat  struck  on  a 
rock  and  stranded,  one  of  the  passengers  being  drowned. 
But  look,"  added  he,  turning  quickly  to  me,  "at  the  Esyirito 
Santo  —  you  are  out  of  her  in  time."  Until  now,  she  had 
remained  beating  heavily  against  the  rocks ;  suddenly  she 
surged  heavily  over  to  leeward,  the  masts  snapped  off  from 
the  boards,  three  or  four  heavy  seas  curled  up  and  swept 
aver  her,  and  the  long-boat,  with  its  inmates,  the  dead  and 
living,  was  first  torn  from  the  deck,  and  quickly  disap- 
peared :  the  poor  wretches  must  have  sunk  without  an 
effort,  for  we  could  not  obtain  a  glimpse  of  them. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  hold  a  consultation  as  to  our 
future  movements.  Two  Turks  approached  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  upon  inquiring,  we  learnt  from  them  that,  in 
place  of  Rhodes,  the  vessel  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Karamania,  near  Castle  Rossa,  and  about  seventy  miles 
from  that  island.  They  also  told  us  that  there  was  no  vil- 
lage nearer  than  six  miles;  and  to  this  it  was  determined  we 
should  proceed.  I  was  dreadfully  weak  ;  my  clothes  were 
thoroughly  drenched  ;  I  had  received  several  bruises,  and 
the  tumor  under  my  arm  felt  very  painful.  When  the  pro- 
posal was  first  made,  I  did  not  think  I  could  have  walked 
ten  yards  j  however,  my  friend  very  kindly  took  charge  of 


THE  COOK  IS  DELIRIOUS,  AND  CHAWLS  INTO  THE  FIRE.    339' 

my  money,  which  I  had  fortunately  saved  by  binding  it 
round  my  waist,  and  we  set  forwards :  the  four  infected 
persons  and  myself  forming  a  separate  group,  which  kept 
aloof  from  the  rest.  About  sunset,  we  reached  the  village, 
and  there  met  a  person  belonging  to  the  Russian  consulate  : 
to  him  our  commander  addressed  himself,  stating  that  he  and 
his  companions  had  been  wrecked  that  day  on  their  coast, 
and  entreating  for  shelter  and  protection,  until  intelligence 
of  our  situation  could  be  communicated  to  our  consul  at 
Rhodes :  not  a  word  was  mentioned  respecting  the  plague. 
Learning,  however,  we  had  come  from  Alexandria,  and  not 
being  willing,  although  Turks,  to  encounter  any  risk,  as  they 
knew  the  plague  was  raging  there,  a  dwelling  was  provided 
for  us  at  a  short  distance  from  the  town.  The  commander, 
and  such  as  remained  healthy,  took  possession  of  one  room, 
while  the  infected  occupied  another;  the  latter  he  wished 
me  to  join,  but  this  I  refused.  Notwithstanding  the  fatigue 
of  my  walk,  I  felt  better,  and  did  not  despair  of  recovery ; 
the  chance  of  which  would,  however,  have  been  much 
lessened,  had  I  complied  with  his  wishes.  Accordingly,  I 
made  a  separate  bargain  with  a  Turk,  who  allowed  me  to 
sleep  in  his  stable,  where  several  horses  were  kept ;  from 
him,  also,  I  purchased  a  ragged  carpet,  and  with  a  large 
stone  for  a  pillow,  I  took  up  my  quarters  in  my  new  abode. 
My  fever  increased  as  the  night  advanced.  About  two 
hours  after  midnight,  I  was  seized  with  delirium,  which  I 
imagine  was  the  crisis  of  the  disorder :  a  thousand  horrid 
and  absurd  vagaries  passed  through  my  brain:  now  the 
frantic  wretch  who  was  cut  from  the  yard  seized  my  leg  with 
his  teeth,  and  gnawed  the  quivering  flesh  to  the  bone  —  now 
the  Italian  we  had  left  in  the  launch  clasped  his  cold  and 
clammy  arms  around  me,  and  pressed  me,  with  a  demon's 
laugh,  to  his  loathsome  person.  I  preserve,  however,  a 
recollection  of  at  one  period  much  shouting  and  noise,  and 
also  that  a  party  with  torches  had  rushed  into  the  shed,  but 
for  what  purpose  I  knew  not  till  the  next  morning.  I 
recovered  my  senses  shortly  after  sunrise,  and  learnt  from 
my  companion  that  a  disturbance  had  taken  place  during 
the  night  in  consequence  of  the  cook,  who  was  delirious, 
crawling  into  the  fire,  which  had  been  kindled  to  dress  some 
provisions ;  his  legs  were  most  dreadfully  burnt  before  they 


340  THE  PLAGUE  ON  BOARD  OF  THE  ESPIRITO  SANTO. 

could  rescue  him,  as  no  one  would  venture  to  touch  him, 
and  the  party  who  entered  my  apartment  came  to  seek  for 
a  rope  to  throw  over  him :  about  an  hour  after,  he  died,  and 
was  buried  by  the  Turks.  Suspicions  now  arose  in  the 
minds  of  the  inhabitants  as  to  the  real  state  of  the  case,  and 
nothing  was  heard  but  threats  that  they  would  massacre  the 
whole  party.  Mine  was  spoken  of  as  a  most  suspicious 
case,  and  a  party  came  to  examine  me :  what  they  saw  con- 
firmed their  fears,  and  already  were  the  muskets  of  several 
ferocious  and  sanguinary  Turks,  eager  for  a  pretext  to  shed 
the  blood  of  a  Christian,  levelled  at  me,  when  an  old  moo- 
lah interfered.  "  Stop  !  "  said  he  ;  ''I  see  it  written  on  his 
forehead  that  his  time  has  not  yet  come."  As  the  Turks, 
disappointed  of  their  prey,  turned  sulkily  away,  and  quitted 
the  shed,  the  old  man,  after  fixing  on  me  a  look  at  once 
expressive  both  of  pity  and  benevolence,  approached,  and 
inquired  if  there  was  any  thing  he  could  do  for  my  comfort, 
or  to  lessen  my  sufferings.  I  begged  for  water,  which  was 
all  I  craved :  he  placed  a  jar  beside  me,  and  then  left  me. 
In  the  evening,  he  sent  his  wife  with  similar  offers  of  service. 
After  much  expostulation  and  entreaty,  the  captain  and  his 
party  prevailed  on  the  governor  to  keep  all  quiet,  until  an 
answer  should  be  received  from  Castle  Rossa,  to  which  a 
letter,  explaining  our  situation,  was  immediately  conveyed. 
The  perils  of  their  situation  were  great,  for  the  governor 
had  but  to  hold  up  his  finger,  and  they  would  cease  to  exist. 
This  danger,  added  to  the  plague,  rendered  my  condition 
still  less  enviable.  I  passed  another  miserable  night.  Next 
day,  we  received  intelligence  that  a  consular  agent  from 
Castle  Rossa  had  arrived ;  but  as  he  would  not  land,  the 
whole  party  were  marched  down  to  the  beach  where  the 
wreck  occurred.  Being  heartily  disgusted  with  my  com- 
panions, who,  it  soon  became  evident,  were  only  desirous  to 
keep  us  with  them  that  we  might  defray  the  whole  of  the 
expenses,  I  endeavored  to  persuade  him,  by  the  offer  of  a 
large  sum,  to  furnish  a  boat,  which  would  forthwith  take  us 
by  ourselves  to  Rhodes,  but  could  only  obtain  a  promise  that 
a  boat  on  the  following  day  would  be  sent  to  carry  there  the 
whole  party ;  having  made  this  promise,  the  officer  put  off 
from  the  shore,  and  made  sail  for  his  port.  The  Turks,  who 
had  accompanied  us  to  the  beach,  now  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 


THE  TURKS  CARRY  THEM  IN^TO  THE  BUSH.      34l 

all  our  solicitations  to  be  permitted  to  return  to  the  village, 
but  marched  us  off  for  about  two  miles  to  a  little  patch  of 
green  sward,  surrounded  by  thickets.  — '-  These  are  your 
quarters,"  said  the  leader  of  the  party.  Ptemonstrance 
would  have  been  useless,  and  indeed,  in  our  situation,  we 
could  hardly  hope  for  other  treatment.  Guards  were  sta- 
tioned around,  and  it  was  intimated,  in  ^ery  plain  terms, 
that  any  one  attempting  to  quit  that  circle  would  be  shot 
without  ceremony.  Myself  and  the  other  infected  were 
directed  to  occupy  one  corner :  our  lodging  and  bedding 
was  the  damp  earth  ;  our  canopy  the  scanty  foliage  of  a 
dwarfish  oak  and  the  blue  vault  of  heaven.  The  Turks 
now  sent  us  a  sheep,  which  was  killed,  and  after  some 
pieces  had  been  broiled  on  the  fire,  they  were  thrown  to 
us;  eat,  however,  I  could  not  —  I  loathed  the  sight  of  food. 
In  the  evening,  it  began  to  rain,  which  continued  incessant 
during  the  whole  time  we  remained. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  miseries  I  endured  for 
these  two  days.  Hitherto,  since  quitting  the  vessel,  I  had 
not  slept  for  an  instant ;  but  on  the  second  night,  I  con- 
trived to  crawl  near  a  fire,  which  an  old  Frenchman,  spite 
of  the  rain,  had  contrived  to  keep  in :  he  did  not  repulse 
me.  The  fever  still  continued,  and  I  was  now  so  completely 
exhausted,  that  I  sank  into  a  doze,  which  continued  for 
about  an  hour.  It  had  been  my  wish  to  dry  my  only  pair 
of  stockings,  and  I  had  gone  to  sleep  with  them  in  my 
hands  extended  over  the  fire.  When  I  awoke,  I  found  that 
I  had  completely  burnt  the  foot  off  one.  Crawling  back  to 
my  own  quarters,  I  carried  with  me  a  few  embers,  with 
which  I  contrived,  with  much  difficulty,  to  dig  a  hollow,  and 
with  some  of  the  Frenchman's  store  of  wood,  to  light  a 
small  fire.  All  happiness,  they  say,  is  by  comparison ;  and 
as  I  warmed  my  benumbed  fingers  by  its  cheerful  flame, 
and  sipped  a  little  coffee,  contained  in  a  cooking-pot  which 
belonged  to  the  man  who  had  died  last  night,  I  poured  forth 
my  whole  soul  in  gratitude  to  my  Maker,  who  had  thus  far 
preserved  me. 

On  the  following  morning,  the  boat  arrived  which  was  to 

convey  us  to  Rhodes.     It  was  a  miserable-looking  affair;  but 

never  shall  I  forget  the  pleasure  I  felt  when  I  put  my  foot  on 

board  her.     I  was  then  sufficiently  recovered  for  my  fellow- 

29* 


342  THE  PLAGUE  ON  BOARD  OF  THE  ESPIRTTO  SANTO. 

passengers  not  to  feel  apprehension  of  my  conveying  the 
contagion ;  but  the  two  other  patients  were  towed  astern  in 
a  small  boat.  Owing  to  adverse  winds,  we  were  three  days 
in  making  Rhodes,  and  as  we  had  but  one  day's  provision 
when  we  left,  the  crew  and  passengers  were  nearly  starved  : 
even  I,  as  we  approached  the  island,  began  to  feel  the  pangs 
of  hunger.  Upon  our  arrival,  we  were  put  in  quarantine ; 
but  quarantine,  the  acme  of  a  traveller's  dread  and  misery, 
to  us  was  an  earthly  paradise.  We  had  bedding,  a  roof  to 
cover  us,  and  a  fire.  From  the  time  we  were  wrecked  until 
we  arrived  at  Rhodes,  (seven  days,)  I  neither  ate  nor  (be- 
yond the  brief  slumber  I  have  noticed)  slept.  I  had  no 
other  clothes  than  those  in  which  I  had  quitted  the  vessel. 
That  I  should  have  escaped  the  awful  visitation,  would,  in 
itself,  be  a  subject  of  wonder ;  but  that  I  should  have  done 
so  under  the  complicated  miseries  and  privations  described, 
is  next  to  miraculous. 

It  only  remains  for  me  to  add,  that  the  two  patients  who 
arrived  with  me  at  Rhodes  died  two  days  after  landing  ;  and 
I  am,  therefore,  the  sole  survivor  of  those  who  were  attacked. 
After  remaining  twenty-nine  days  in  quarantine,  gradually 
recovering  my  strength  and  health,  I  sailed  for  England ; 
and  here  you  see  me  now,  v6ry  grateful  to  Providence  for 
conducting  me  to  my  native  land,  and  not  much  the  worse 
for  the  perils  I  underwent  on  the  way  there. 


A    DESCRIPTIVE    SKETCH 

OF    THE 

RIVER    MISSISSIPPI, 

WITH 

ILLUSTRATIVE   ANECDOTES   OF  ITS   DANGEROUS  NAVIGATION) 

AND 

AN   AFFECTING   ACCOUNT 

OF    THE 

BURNING  OF  THE  BEN  SHEEROD, 

A    STEAMBOAT,    ON    THAT    RIVER; 
May,  1837. 


ATURE  and  art  seem  to  have  mutually 
combined  for  the  destruction  of  human 
life  in  the  formation  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  in  the  appliance  of  steam  power  in 
navigating  its  waters.  However  inimical 
to  man  nature  may  have  been  in  the 
physical  formation  of  this  mighty  river, 
with  its  numerous  whirlpools,  eddies,  currents,  snags,  and 
other  hidden  dangers,  art  has  far  exceeded  it  in  the  nu- 
merous fires,  explosions,  and  collisions  of  steamboats,  which 
are  continually  taking  place  on  its  lengthy  surface.  We 
will  give  a  short  and  descriptive  sketch  of  this  important 
and  celebrated  river. 

It  has  been  the  fashion  with  travellers  to  talk  of  the 
scenery  of  the  Mississippi  as  w^anting  grandeur  and  beauty. 
Most  certainly  it  has  neither.  But  there  is  no  scenery  on 
earth  more  striking.  The  dreary  and  pestilential  solitudes, 
untrodden,  save  by  the  foot  of  Indians;  the  absence  of  all 


344  THE    DANGERS    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI.       , 

living  objects,  save  the  huge  alligators  which  float  past,  ap- 
parently asleep,  on  the  drift-wood,  and  an  occasional  vul- 
ture, attracted  by  its  impure  prey  on  the  surface  of  the 
water;  the  trees,  with  a  long  and  hideous  drapery  of  pen- 
dent moss,  fluttering  in  the  wind;  and  the  giant  river  rolling 
onward  the  vast  volume  of  its  dark  and  turbid  waters 
through  the  wilderness,  —  form  the  features  of  one  of  the 
most  dismal  and  impressive  landscapes  on  which  the  eye  of 
man  ever  rested.  No  river  in  the  world  drains  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  earth's  surface.  It  is  the  traveller  of  five 
thousand  miles  —  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  globe's  diame- 
ter. The  imagination  asks,  "Whence  come  its  waters,  and 
whither  tend  they?"  They  come  from  the  distant  regions 
of  a  vast  continent,  where  the  foot  of  civilized  man  has 
never  yet  been  planted ;  and  swelled  by  a  hundred  tribu- 
taries, they  flow  into  an  ocean  yet  vaster,  the  whole  body 
of  which  acknowledges  their  influence. 

The  prevailing  character  of  the  Mississippi  is  that  of 
solemn  gloom.  I  have  trodden  the  passes  of  Alp  and 
Apennine,  yet  never  felt  how  awful  a  thing  is  nature,  till  I 
was  borne  on  its  waters,  in  a  steamboat,  through  regions 
desolate  and  uninhabitable.  Day  after  day,  and  night  after 
night,  we  continued  driving  right  downward  to  the  south ; 
our  vessel,  like  some  huge  demon  of  the  wilderness,  bearing 
fire  in  her  bosom,  and  canopying  the  eternal  forest  with  the 
smoke  of  her  nostrils.  How  looked  the  hoary  river-god  I 
know  not ;  nor  what  thought  the  alligators,  when  awakened 
from  their  slumber  by  a  vision  so  astounding.  But  the 
eifect  on  my  own  spirits  was  such  as  I  have  never  experi- 
enced before  or  since.  Conversation  became  odious,  and  I 
passed  my  time  in  a  sort  of  dreamy  contemplation.  At 
night,  I  ascended  to  the  highest  deck,  and  lay  for  hours 
gazing  listlessly  on  the  sky,  the  forest,  and  the  waters,  amidst 
silence  only  broken  by  the  clanging  of  the  engine. 

The  "  Father  of  Waters,"  as  it  is  called,  is  ever  restless 
and  muddy  ;  always  filled  with  a  great  quantity  of  half-con- 
sumed bushes,  branches,  and  trees,  rolled  rapidly  past  the 
shore.  It  is  not  without  great  exertion  that  man  is  capable 
of  mastering  its  powerful  waves.  On  the  least  neglect,  he 
is  lost  without  redemption.  Unhappy  he  who  has  the  mis- 
fortune of  falling  into  the  river :  an  invisible  arm  drags  him 


A    STEAMBOAT    SUNK    BY    A    SNAG.  345, 

instantly  to  the  bottom,  never  to  appear  again.  Thousands 
are  the  means  employed  by  the  Mississippi  to  attract  its 
victims.  If  a  month  happens  to  elapse  without  a  steamboat 
or  some  other  craft  being  ingulfed  in  the  agitated  waves, 
all  at  once  you  hear  of  one  of  the  former  having  foundered, 
after  striking  against  a  snag,  projecting  from  the  bottom  of 
the  river,  or  of  the  boiler  having  burst,  or  the  boat  taking 
fire,  —  or  of  a  fiat-boat  being  totally  lost:  on  all  these  occa- 
sions, human  lives  are  sacrificed.  But  this  is  not  all.  Va- 
pors of  a  highly-pernicious  nature  rise  in  various  directions 
near  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  produce  dangerous  disor- 
ders. Tornadoes  are  also  very  frequent,  and  sometimes 
shocks  of  earthquakes  are  felt. 

The  navigation  of  the  river  is  rendered  very  danger- 
ous by  the  instability  of  the  banks,  and  the  impetuosity  of 
the  current,  which  is  constantly  undermining  them,  and 
tumbling  immense  masses  in  the  river,  which  are  called 
snags,  planters,  or  sawyers.  The  trees  are  called  snags,  and 
planters,  when  they  are  firmly  fixed  in  the  bottom  of  the 
river  perpendicularly,  and  appear  a  foot  or  less  above  the 
surface  of  the  water.  They  are  called  sawyers  when  fixed 
less  perpendicularly  in  the  river,  yielding  to  the  pressure  of 
the  current,  in  some  degree  like  the  motion  of  a  saw-mill 
saw,  from  which  their  name  is  derived.  They  are  called 
sleeping  sawyers  when  the  top  of  the  tree  does  not  quite 
reach  the  surface  of  the  water.  There  are  also  in  the 
Mississippi  many  wooden  islands,  more  dangerous  than  real 
ones,  from  there  being  a  new  or  additional  obstacle  thrown 
in  the  way  of  the  current.  They  consist  of  large  quantities 
of  drift-wood,  arrested  and  matted  together  in  different  parts 
of  the  river.  Many  fatal  accidents  happen  in  consequence 
of  boats  running  against  snags,  planters,  and  sawyers.  Mr. 
Flint  relates  one  which  happened  to  the  steamboat  Ten- 
nessee, of  New  Orleans. 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  morning  when  she  started.  Her  deck 
was  absolutely  crowded  with  passengers;  not  less,  I  was  told, 
than  three  hundred  being  on  board.  They  cheered  the  mul- 
titude, waved  their  hats,  fired  their  swivel  repeatedly,  and 
went  off  with  unusual  demonstrations  of  gayety.  Above 
Natchez,  in  a  dark  and  sleety  night,  in  one  of  the  furious 
cypress  bends  of  the  river,  the  boat  struck  a  snag.     She 


346  THE    DANGERS     OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI. 

began  to  fill,  and  every  thing  was  consternation  and  despair. 
One  wretch  seized  a  skiff,  and  paddled  round  the  boat,  call- 
ing on  a  passenger  to  throw  his  saddle-bags  into  the  skiff, 
informing  him,  with  great  agony,  that  all  his  money  was  in 
them.  He  might  have  saved  a  dozen  persons ;  but  he  kept 
aloof,  that  no  one  could  get  on  board.  We  sometimes  see, 
in  the  very  same  crisis,  that  one  man  will  exhibit  the  dignity 
and  benevolence  of  an  angehc  nature,  and  another  will  dis- 
play the  workings  of  a  nature  almost  infernal.  The  en- 
gineer, who  was  greatly  beloved,  was  invited  to  save  himself 
in  the  yawl.  His  reply  was  noble  —  'Who  will  work  the 
engine  if  I  quit  ?  I  must  do  my  duty.'  They  tried  in  vain 
to  run  her  on  a  bar.  She  sunk,  and  this  intrepid  man, 
worthy  of  a  statue,  was  drowned  in  the  steam-room.  The 
passengers  —  men,  w^omen,  and  children  —  separated,  and 
in  the  darkness  were  plunged  in  this  whirling  and  terrible 
stream.  The  shrieks,  the  wailings,  soon  died  away.  I  be- 
lieve it  was  not  ascertained  how  many  perished,  but  it  was 
known  to  exceed  thirty  persons.  The  rest  made  the  shore 
as  they  could." 

Of  the  hundred  tributaries  which  flow  into  the  Mississippi, 
the  Red  River  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  Its  waters, 
when  full,  are  of  a  deep-red  tinge  ;  and  when  low,  its  bars  * 
discover  shoals  of  alligators,  great  and  small,  basking  in  the 
sun,  or  crossing  the  stream,  as  though  logs  had  found  the 
power  of  locomotion. 

The  Red  River  has  one  peculiarity  —  the  Great  Raft, 
Here  the  river  runs  through  a  vast  swamp.  The  river 
divides  into  innumerable  channels.  These  channels  are 
closed  up  by  logs,  carried  along  by  the  current,  and  jammed 
together.  This  takes  place  for  a  length  of  eighty  miles. 
This  is  a  great  impediment  to  navigation.  Steamboats  may 
ascend  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  when  the  water  is 
high,  but  with  great  difficulty.  Keel  boats  make  their  way 
through  it  with  great  difficulty  with  cutting  away  logs,  and 
mistaking  their  channel,  and  if  they  succeed  in  making  their 
way,  are  occupied  four  times  as  long  as  would  be  requisite 
to  ascend  a  clear  river. 

On  an  island,  in  the  midst  of  this  swamp,  a  boatman  was 
left  by  mistake,  and  subsisted  nine  days  on  nothing  but  one 
squirrel  and  the  barks  of  trees.     He  relates,  that  he  cut  up 


AN  ALLIGATOR  ROBS  A  MAN  OF  HIS  VICTUALS.    34T 

a  handkerchief  for  a  line,  and  made  a  hook  of  a  nail,  which 
he  had  about  him:  with  this  fishing-tackle  he  took  a  fine  cat- 
fish. He  carried  it  a  little  distance  from  the  bank,  and  was 
cleaning  it  to  roast ;  for  he  had  fire.  As  he  went  to  the 
river,  an  alligator  started  from  the  mud,  and  made  for  the 
fish.  In  his  extreme  weakness,  the  alligator  arrived  first, 
seized  the  fish,  and  swallowed  it  in  a  trice.  He  relates 
that,  in  despair,  he  then  laid  himself  down  to  die,  and  slept 
for  a  great  length  of  time.  When  he  awoke,  the  love  of 
life  returned  upon  him.  He  remembered  to  have  seen  a 
canoe,  that  had  a  hole  in  the  bottom,  which  had  been  thrown 
by  the  stream  upon  the  wreck  of  logs.  The  little  labor  re- 
quisite to  enable  him  to  roll  it  into  the  stream,  caused  him 
to  faint  repeatedly.  But  he  finally  achieved  the  task,  stopped 
the  hole  in  the  bottom  with  moss  and  his  handkerchief, 
daubed  it  with  mud,  and  committed  himself  to  the  stream. 
Providentially,  the  boat  took  the  right  channel.  This  canoe 
struck  a  log,  and  turned  over ;  but  he  was  enabled  to  hang 
on  to  it  until  he  floated  down  to  a  French  house.  The 
Frenchman  was  milking  his  cows  at  night.  The  man  was 
a  living  skeleton.  He  grasped  the  pail  of  milk  from  the 
Frenchman's  hands,  and,  had  he  not  been  prevented,  would 
have  drunk  his  death.  He  appeared  like  a  perfect  Captain 
Riley  from  the  Arabian  deserts.  It  is  wonderful  how  much 
human  nature  can  endure  before  the  thread  of  life  is  broken. 
We  will  now  return  to  the  Mississippi,  and  give  the  re- 
cital of 

The  Biiriiiiig  of  the  Ben  Sherrod. 

BY    A    PASSENGER. 

"On  Sunday  morning,  the  6th  of  May,  1837,  the  steam- 
boat Ben  Sherrod,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Castle- 
man,  was  preparing  to  leave  the  levee  at  New  Orleans.  She 
was  thronged  with  passengers.  Many  a  beautiful  and  inter- 
esting woman  that  morning  was  busy  in  arranging  the  little 
things  incident  to  travelling ;  and  they  all  looked  forward 
with  high  and  certain  hope  to  the  end  of  their  journey. 
Little,  innocent  children  played  about  in  the  cabin,  and 
would  run  to  the  guards  now  and  then,  to  wonder,  in  infan- 


348        THE  BURNING  OF  THE  BEN  SHERROD. 

tine  language,  at  the  next  boat,  or  the  water,  or  something 
else  that  drew  their  attention.  '  O,  look  here,  Henry ;  I 
don't  like  that  boat  Lexington.'  '  I  wish  I  was  going  by 
her,'  said  Henry,  musingly.  The  men,  too,  were  urgent  in 
their  arrangements  of  the  trunks,  and  getting  on  board 
sundry  articles  which  a  ten  days'  passage  rendered  neces- 
sary.    In  fine,  all  seemed  hope,  and  joy,  and  certainty. 

"  The  cabin  of  the  Ben  Sherrod  was  on  the  upper  deck, 
but  narrow  in  proportion  to  her  build ;  for  she  was  what  is 
technically  called  a  Tennessee  cotton  boat.  To  those  who 
have  never  seen  a  cotton  boat  loaded,  it  is  a  wondrous 
sight.  The  bales  are  piled  up  from  the  lower  guards, 
wherever  there  is  a  cranny,  until  they  reach  above  the 
second  deck,  room  being  merely  left  for  passengers  to  walk 
outside  the  cabin.  You  have  regular  alleys  left  amid  the 
cotton,  in  order  to  pass  about  on  the  first  deck.  Such  is  a 
cotton  boat,  carrying  from  one  thousand  five  hundred  to 
two  thousand  bales. 

"  The  Ben's  finish  and  accommodation  of  the  cabin  were 
by  no  means  such  as  would  begin  to  compare  with  the  regu- 
lar passenger  boats.  It  being  late  in  the  season,  and  but 
few  large  steamers  being  in  port,  in  consequence  of  the 
severity  of  the  times,  the  Ben  Sherrod  got  an  undue  number 
of  passengers  ;  otherwise  she  would  have  been  avoided,  for 
her  accommodations  were  not  enticing.  She  had  a  heavy 
freight  on  board,  and  several  horses  and  carriages  on  the 
forecastle.  The  build  of  the  Ben  Sherrod  was  heavy,  her 
timbers  being  of  the  largest  size. 

"  The  morning  was  clear  and  sultry  —  so  much  so  that 
umbrellas  were  necessary  to  ward  oflf  the  sun.  It  was  a 
curious  sight  to  see  the  hundreds  of  citizens  hurrying  on 
board  to  leave  letters,  and  to  see  them  coming  away.  When 
a  steamboat  is  going  off  on  the  southern  and  western  waters, 
the  excitement  is  fully  equal  to  that  attendant  upon  the  de- 
parture of  a  Liverpool  packet.  About  10  o'clock,  A.  M., 
the  ill-fated  steamer  pushed  oif  upon  the  turbid  current  of 
the  Mississippi,  as  a  swan  upon  the  waters.  In  a  few 
minutes,  she  was  under  way,  tossing  high  in  air  bright  and 
snowy  clouds  of  steam  at  every  half  revolution  of  her  en- 
gine. Talk  not  of  your  northern  steamboats  !  A  Mississippi 
steamer  of  seven  hundred  tons'  burden,  with  adequate  ma- 


CfREAT    EFFORTS    ARE    MADE    TO    BEAT    THE    PRAIRIE.    349 

chinery,  is  one  of  the  sublimities  of  poetry.  For  thousands 
of  miles,  that  great  body  forces  its  way  through  a  desolate 
country,  against  an  almost  resistless  current;  and  all  the  evi- 
dence you  have  of  the  immense  power  exerted,  is  brought 
home  to  your  senses  by  the  everlasting  and  majestic  burst 
of  exertion  from  her  escapement  pipe,  and  the  ceaseless 
stroke  of  the  paddle-wheels.  In  t!ie  dead  of  night,  when, 
amid  the  swamps  on  either  side,  your  noble  vessel  winds  her 
upward  way — when  not  a  soul  is  seen  on  board  but  the 
officer  on  deck  —  when  nought  is  heard  but  the  clank  of 
the  fire-doors  amid  the  hoarse  coughing  of  the  engine,  im- 
agination yields  to  the  vastness  of  the  ideas  thus  excited  in 
your  mind ;  and,  if  you  have  a  soul  that  makes  you  a  man, 
you  cannot  help  feeling  strongly  ahve  to  the  mightiness  of 
art  in  contrast  with  the  mightiness  of  nature.  Such  a  scene 
—  and  hundreds  such  have  I  realized,  with  an  intensity  that 
cannot  be  described  —  always  made  me  a  better  man  than 
before.  I  never  could  tire  of  the  steamboat  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi. 

"On  Tuesday  evening,  the  9th  of  May,  1S3T,  the  steam- 
boat Prairie,  on  her  way  to  St.  Louis,  bore  hard  upon  the 
Sherrod.  It  was  necessary  for  the  latter  to  stop  at  Fort 
Adams,  during  which  the  Prairie  passed  her.  Great  vexa- 
tion was  manifested  by  some  of  the  passengers,  that  the 
Prairie  should  get  to  Natchez  first.  This  subject  formed 
the  theme  of  conversation  for  two  or  three  hours,  the  cap- 
tain assuring  them  that  he  would  beat  her  any  how.  The 
Prairie  is  a  very  fast  boat,  and  under  equal  chances  could 
have  beaten  the  Sherrod.  So  soon  as  the  business  was 
transacted  at  Fort  Adams,  for  which  she  stopped,  orders 
were  given  to  the  men  to  keep  up  their  fires  to  the  extent. 
It  was  now  a  little  after  II,  P.  M.  The  captain  retired  to 
his  berth,  with  his  clothes  on,  and  left  the  deck  in  charge  of 
an  officer.  During  the  evening,  a  barrel  of  whisky  had  been 
turned  out,  and  permission  given  to  the  hands  to  do  as  they 
pleased.  As  may  be  supposed,  they  drew  upon  the  barrel 
quite  liberally.  It  is  the  custom  on  all  boats  to  furnish  the 
firemen  with  liquor,  though  a  difTerence  exists  as  to  the  mode. 
But  it  is  due  to  the  many  worthy  captains  now  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi,  to  state  that  the  practice  of  furnishing  spirits  is  grad- 
30 


350        THE  BURNING  OF  THE  BEN  .  SHERROD.       > 

ually  dying  away;  and  where  they  are  given,  it  is  only  done 
in  moderation. 

"As  the  Sherrod  passed  on  above  Fort  Adams,  towards 
the  mouth  of  the  Homochitta,  the  wood  piled  up  in  the 
front  of  the  furnaces  several  times  caught  fire,  and  was  once 
or  twice  imperfectly  extinguished  by  the  drunken  hands.  It 
must  be  understood  by  those  of  my  readers  who  have  never 
seen  a  western  steamboat,  that  the  boilers  are  entirely  above 
the  first  deck,  and  that,  when  the  fires  are  well  kept  up  for 
any  length  of  time,  the  heat  is  almost  insupportable.  Were 
it  not  for  the  draft  occasioned  by  the  speed  of  the  boat,  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  attend  the  fires.  As  the  boat  was 
booming  along  through  the  water  close  in  shore,  —  for,  in 
ascending  the  river,  boats  go  as  close  as  they  can  to  avoid 
the  current,  —  a  negro  on  the  beach  called  out  to  the  fireman 
that  the  wood  was  on  fire.  The  reply  was,  '  Go  to  h — 1, 
and  mind  your  own  business,'  from  some  half-intoxicated 
hand.  '  O  massa,'  answered  the  negro,  '  if  you  don't  take 
care,  you  will  be  in  h — 1  before  I  will.'  On,  on,  on  went  the 
boat,  at  a  tremendous  rate,  quivering  and  trembling  in  all  her 
length  at  every  revolution  of  the  wheels.  The  steam  was 
created  so  fast,  that  it  continued  to  escape  through  the  safety- 
valve,  and,  by  its  sharp  singing,  told  a  tale  that  every  prudent 
captain  would  have  understood.  As  the  vessel  rounded  the 
bar  that  makes  off  from  the  Homochitta,  being  compelled  to 
stand  out  into  the  middle  of  the  river  in  consequence,  the 
fire  was  discovered.  It  was  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. A  passenger  had  got  up  previously,  and  was  standing 
on  the  boiler  deck,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  the  fire  broke 
out  from  the  pile  of  wood.  A  little  presence  of  mind,  and 
a  set  of  men  unintoxicated,  could  have  saved  the  boat.  The 
passenger  seized  a  bucket,  and  was  about  to  plunge  it  over- 
board for  water,  when  he  found  it  locked.  An  instant  more, 
and  the  fire  increased  in  volumes.  The  captain  was  now 
awaked.  He  saw  that  the  fire  had  seized  the  deck.  He  ran 
aft,  and  announced  the  ill  tidings.  No  sooner  were  the 
words  out  of  his  mouth,  than  the  shrieks  of  mothers,  sisters, 
and  babes,  resounded  through  the  hitherto  silent  cabin  in  the 
wildest  confusion.  Men  were  aroused  from  their  dreaming 
cots  to  experience  the  hot  air  of  the  approaching  fire.     The 


THE  TILLER-ROPES  BURNT  OFF. A  FRANTIC  SCENE.    351 

"pilot,  being  elevated  on  the  hurricane  deck,  at  the  instant 
of  perceiving  the  flames,  put  the  head  of  the  boat  shoreward. 
She  had  scarcely  got  under  good  way  in  that  direction,  than 
the  tiller-ropes  were  burnt  asunder.  Two  miles,  at  least, 
from  the  land,  the  vessel  took  a  sheer,  and,  borne  upon  by 
the  current,  made  several  revolutions,  until  she  struck  off 
across  the  river.     A  bar  brought  her  up  for  the  moment. 

"  The  flames  had  now  extended  fore  and  aft.  At  the  first 
alarm,  several  deck  passengers  had  got  into  the  yawl  that  hung 
suspended  by  the  davits.  A  cabin  passenger,  endowed  with 
some  degree  of  courage  and  presence  of  mind,  expostulated 
with  them,  and  did  all  he  could  to  save  the  boats  for  the 
ladies.  'Twas  useless.  One  took  out  his  knife  and  cut 
away  the  forward  tackle.  The  next  instant  and  they  were 
all,  to  the  number  of  twenty  or  more,  launched  into  the 
angry  waters.     They  were  seen  no  more. 

"The  boat,  being  lowered  from  the  other  end,  filled,  and 
was  useless.  Now  came  the  trying  moment.  Hundreds 
leaped  from  the  burning  wreck  into  the  waters.  Mothers 
were  seen  standing  on  the  guards  with  hair  dishevelled, 
praying  for  help.  The  dear  little  innocents  clung  to  the 
side  of  their  mothers,  and  with  their  tiny  hands  beat  away 
the  burning  flames.  Sisters  calUng  out  to  their  brothers  in 
unearthly  voices  —  ^  Save  me,  O,  save  me,  brother  ! '  — 
wives  crying  to  their  husbands  to  save  their  children,  in 
total  forgetfulness  of  themselves,  —  every  second  or  two  a 
desperate  plunge  of  some  poor  victim  falling  on  the  appalled 
ear,  —  the  dashing  to  and  fro  of  the  horses  on  the  forecastle, 
groaning  audibly  from  pain  of  the  devouring  element,  —  the 
continued  pufling  of  the  engine,  for  it  still  continued  to 
go,  —  the  screaming  mother  who  had  leaped  overboard  in 
the  desperation  of  the  moment  with  her  only  child,  —  the 
flames  mounting  to  the  sky  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  — 
shall  I  ever  forget  that  scene  —  that  hour  of  horror  and 
alarm  ?  Never,  were  I  to  live  till  the  memory  should  forget 
all  else  that  ever  came  to  the  senses.  The  short  half  hour 
that  separated  and  plunged  into  eternity  two  hundred  human 
beings  has  been  so  burnt  into  the  memory,  that  even  now  I 
think  of  it  more  than  half  the  day. 

"  I  was  swimming  to  the  shore  with  all  my  might,  endeav- 
oring to  sustain  a  mother  and  her  child.     She  sank  twice-, 


352        THE  BURNING  OF  THE  BEN  SHERROD. 

and  yet  I  bore  her  on.  My  strength  failed  me.  The  babe 
was   nothing  —  a   mere   cork.       '  Go,   go,'   said   the   brave 

mother;   'save  my  child,  save  my '  and  she  sank  to 

rise  no  more.  Nerved  by  the  resolution  of  that  vt^oman,  I 
reached  the  shore  in  safety.  The  babe  I  saved.  Ere  I  had 
reached  the  beach,  the  Sherrod  had  swung  off  the  bar,  and 
was  floating  down,  the  engine  having  ceased  running.  In 
every  direction  heads  dotted  the  surface  of  the  river.  The 
burning  wreck  now  wore  a  new  and  still  more  au'ful  appear- 
ance. Mothers  v/ere  seen  clinging,  with  the  last  hope,  to  the 
blazing  timbers,  and  dropping  off  one  by  one.  The  screams 
had  ceased.  A  sullen  silence  rested  over  the  devoted  vessel. 
The  flames  became  tired  of  their  destructive  work. 

"  While  I  sat  dripping  and  overcome  upon  the  beach,  a 
steamboat,  the  Columbus,  came  in  sight,  and  bore  for  the 
wreck.  It  seemed  like  one  last  ray  of  hope  gleaming  across 
the  dead  gloom  of  that  night.  Several  wretches  were  saved. 
And  still  another,  the  Statesman,  came  in  sight.  More,  more 
were  saved, 

"  A  moment  to  me  had  only  elapsed,  when  high  in  the 
heavens  the  cinders  flew,  and  the  country  was  lighted  all 
round.  Still  another  boat  came  booming  on.  I  was  happy 
that  more  help  had  come.  After  an  exchange  of  words  with 
the  Columbus,  the  captain  continued  on  his  way  under  full 
steam.  O,  how  my  heart  sank  within  me  !  The  waves 
created  by  his  boat  sent  many  a  poor  mortal  to  his  long, 
long  home.  A  being  by  the  name  of  Dougherty  was  the 
captain  of  that  merciless  boat.  Long  may  he  be  remem- 
bered ! 

*'  My  hands  were  burnt,  and  now  I  began  to  experience 
severe  pain.  The  scene  before  me  —  the  loss  of  my  two 
sisters  and  brother,  whom  I  had  missed  in  the  confusion,  — 
all  had  steeled  my  heart.  I  could  not  weep  —  I  could  not 
sigh.     The  cries  of  the  babe  at  my  side  were  nothing  to  me. 

"Again — another  explosion  !  and  the  waters  closed  slowly 
and  sullenly  over  the  scene  of  disaster  and  death.  Darkness 
resumed  her  sway,  and  the  stillness  was  only  interrupted  by 
the  distant  efforts  of  the  Columbus  and  Statesman  in  their 
laudable  exertions  to  save  human  life. 

"  Captain  Castleman  lost,  I  believe,  a  father  and  child. 
Some  argue,  this  is  punishment  enough.     No;  it  is  not.     He 


THE    GREAT    EXCITEMENT    OF    STEAMBOAT    RACING.    353 

had  the  lives  of  hundreds  under  his  charge.  He  was  care- 
less of  his  trust ;  he  was  guihy  of  a  crime  that  nothing  will 
ever  wipe  out.  The  bodies  of  two  hundred  victims  are  cry- 
ing out  from  the  depth  of  the  father  of  waters  for  vengeance. 
Neither  society  nor  law  will  give  it.  His  punishment  is  yet 
to  come.     May  I  never  meet  him  ! 

^'  I  could  tell  of  scenes  of  horror  that  would  rouse  the 
indignation  of  a  Stoic ;  but  I  have  done.  As  to  myself,  I 
could  tell  you  much  to  excite  your  interest.  It  was  more 
than  three  weeks  after  the  occurrence  before  I  ever  shed  a 
tear.  All  the  fountains  of  sympathy  had  been  dried  up, 
and  my  heart  was  as  stone.  As  I  lay  on  my  bed  the 
twenty-fourth  day  after,  tears,  salt  tears,  came  to  my  relief, 
and  I  felt  the  loss  of  my  sisters  and  brother  more  deeply 
than  ever.  Peace  be  to  their  spirits !  they  found  a  watery 
grave. 

"In  the  course  of  all  human  events,  scenes  of  misery 
will  occur.  But  where  they  rise  from  sheer  carelessness,  it 
requires  more  than  Christian  fortitude  to  forgive  the  being 
who  is  in  fault.  I  repeat,  may  I  never  meet  Captain  Castle- 
man  or  Captain  Dougherty!  " 


"I  shall  follow  this  tale  of  woe  by  some  strictures  on  the 
mode  of  building  steamboats  in  the  west,  and  show  that  hu- 
man hfe  has  been  jeopardized  by  the  demoniac  spirit  of 
speculation,  cheating,  and  roguery.  The  fate  of  the  Ben 
Sherrod  shall  be  my  text. 

"  It  will  be  seen  from  this  narrative,  that  the  loss  of  the 
vessel  was  occasioned  by  racing  with  another  boat  —  a  fre- 
quent practice  on  the  Mississippi.  That  people  should  run 
such  risk,  will  appear  strange  ;  but  if  any  of  my  readers  had 
ever  been  on  board  of  a  steam-vessel  in  a  race,  they  would 
not  be  surprised  ;  the  excitement  produced  by  it  is  the  most 
powerful  that  can  be  conceived  —  I  have  myself  experienced 
it,  and  can  answer  for  the  truth  of  it.  At  first,  the  feeling 
of  danger  predominates,  and  many  of  the  passengers  beg 
the  captain  to  desist ;  but  he  cannot  bear  to  be  passed  by 
and  left  astern.  As  the  race  continues,  so  do  they  all  warm 
up,  until  even  those  who,  most  aware  of  the  danger,  were  at 
first  most  afraid,  are  to  be  seen  staiiding  over  the  very  boil- 
ers, shouting,  huzzaing,  and  stimulating  the  firemen  to 

30* 


854 


THE  BURNING  OF  THE  BEN  SKERROD. 


blow  them  up ;  the  very  danger  gives  an  unwonted  interest 
to  the  scene ;  and  females,  as  well  as  men,  would  never  be 
persuaded  to  cry  out,  '  Hold  —  enough  ! ' 

"  Another  proof  of  the  disregard  of  human  life  is  here 
given  in  the  fact  of  one  steamboat  passing  by  and  rendering 
no  assistance  to  the  drowning  wretches ;  nay,  it  was  posi- 
tively related  to  me  by  one  who  was  in  the  water,  that  the 
blows  of  the  paddles  of  this  steamboat  sent  down  many  who 
otherwise  might  have  been  saved. 

"  When  I  was  on  the  lakes,  the  wood  which  was  piled 
close  to  the  fireplace  caught  fire.  It  was  of  no  conse- 
quence, as  it  happened,  for  it  being  a  well-regulated  boat, 
the  fire  was  soon  extinguished  ;  but  I  mention  it  to  show  the 
indifference  of  one  of  the  men  on  board.  About  half  an 
hour  afterwards,  one  of  his  companions  roused  him  from  his 
berth,  shaking  him  by  the  shoulder  to  wake  him,  saying, 
*  Get  up;  the  wood's  afire — quick.'  'Well,  I  knew  that 
'fore  I  turned  in,'  replied  the  man,  yawning." 

"A  steamboat  once  caught  fire  on  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
passengers  had  to  jump  overboard  and  save  themselves  by 
swimming.  One  of  those  reckless  characters,  a  gambler, 
who  was  on  board,  having  apparently  a  very  good  idea  of 
his  own  merits,  went  aft,  and  before  he  leapt  overboard, 
cried  out,  '  Now,  gallows,  claim  your  own  ! '  " 


AN   INTERESTING    ACCOUNT 

OF 

A    BOAT    CONTAINING    NINE    NATIVES, 

WHICH    WAS 

BLOWN    OFF    THE    MALDIVE     ISLANDS, 

IN  THE   INDIAN   OCEAN, 


Was  swept  by  a  south-west  Monsoon  across  the  great 
Bay  of  Bengal,  to  the  Coast  of  Siain,  a  Distance 
of  more  than  Two  Thousand  Miles ;  July,  1836. 


UST  as  the  sun  was  setting,  in  the  lurid 
haze  of  a  south-west  monsoon,  on  the 
20th  of  July,  1836,  the  inhabitants  of 
Tavoy,  on  the  western  coast  of  Siam, 
were  astonished  by  the  aspect  of  a  sin- 
gular-looking craft,  which  made  its  ap- 
pearance off  that  place.  And  though 
apparently  not  a  decked  vessel,  yet  she 
loomed  large  in  the  hazy  horizon.  As  she  came  bounding 
before  the  gale,  her  singular  build  and  rig,  and  the  fragment 
of  sail  which  she  carried,  being  composed  of  alternate  strips 
of  purple  and  white  matting,  all  conspired  to  excite  in  the 
breasts  of  the  spectators  the  strongest  curiosity,  not  unmixed 
with  those  superstitious  fears  pecuhar  to  the  Siamese.  On 
her  arrival  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  it  was  evident,  by  her 
yawing  about,  that  her  crew  were  undecided  what  course  to 
take,  as  the  ground  swell  was  rolling  in  heavily,  and  a  tre- 
mendous surf  was  breaking  on  the  shelving  beach,  in  front 
of  the  village,  the  dangers  of  which  could  be  plainly  seen 
by  those  on  board.     After  remaining  some  time  in  this  ap- 


356  A    BOAT    BLOWN    OFF    THE    MALDIVE    ISLANDS. 

parently  wavering  state,  she  rounded  to,  and  ran  under  the 
lee  of  a  hill  on  the  southern  point  of  the  bay  ;  and  was  last 
seen  taking  in  her  party-colored  sail  and  corning  to  anchor. 
The  gale,  which  had  lulled,  now  set  in  with  renewed  vio- 
lence;  and,  notwithstanding  the  superstition  of  many,  by 
the  exertions  of  some  English  traders  at  the  place,  a  large 
fire  was  made  on  the  shore,  and  kept  burning  through  the 
night.  And  those  who  watched  and  replenished  it,  heard, 
at  intervals,  the  sound  of  a  conch-shell,  blown  by  those  on 
board,  mingled  with  the  wailings  of  the  blast;  which  be- 
tokened that  these  spirits  of  the  deep  had  not  vanished  with 
the  departed  light. 

At  the  earliest  dawn,  the  strand  was  thronged  by  the 
eager  and  curious  inhabitants.  The  gale  having  subsided, 
her  grotesque  crew  weighed  the  anchor,  hoisted  the  purple 
and  white  sail,  and  steered  for  the  moorings,  in  front  of  the 
village.  From  her  singular  appearance,  being  high  out  of 
water,  and  covered  with  carved  work  from  stem  to  stern,  — 
all  weather-bleached,  rent,  and  ragged,  —  one  would  have 
supposed  she  had  floated  at  random  on  the  ocean  for  years. 
Although  she  proved  to  be  a  great  curiosity,  and  the  ad- 
ventures, manners,  and  customs,  of  her  crew  of  great  in- 
terest, yet  the  illusions  of  the  superstitious  were  dispelled 
by  her  proving  to  be  an  unfortunate  boat  belonging  to  the 
Maldive  Islands.  As  far  as  their  language  could  be  under- 
stood, it  appears  that  they  were  passing  from  Atoll  Male,  or 
King's  Island,  to  Atoll  Sonadiva,  when  a  violent  storm 
arose,  which  broke  off  their  mast  about  one  third  of  its 
length  above  deck,  injured  their  rudder,  and  thus  left  them 
in  a  perilous  situation  upon  the  tempestuous  ocean.  And 
in  this  helpless  state  they  had  drifted  entirely  across  the 
great  Bay  of  Bengal,  and  reached  Tavoy,  on  the  western 
coast  of  Siam.  They  had  not  suffered  any  very  severe  pri- 
vation, being  providentially  laden  with  rice,  and  the  inces- 
sant rains  from  the  monsoon,  added  to  their  original  stock 
of  water,  gave  them  a  goodly  supply.  The  broken  mast 
afforded  them  fire- wood.  They  stated  that  they  were  drifted 
across  the  bay  in  a  month  and  a  half;  but  their  computation 
of  time  could  not  be  exactly  depended  upon :  if  correct, 
their  boat  must  have  been  drifted  along  about  fifty  miles  per 
day,  which,  with  the  current  and  south-west  monsoon,  was 


A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THEIR    NAUTICAL    INSTRUMENTS.    35T 

not  improbable.  Their  boat  was  about  six  tons'  burden,  the 
hull  built  of  cocoa  tree,  without  a  single  iron  nail  in  it ;  there 
was  a  commodious  berth  towards  the  stern,  and  a  kind  of 
matted  deck  in  the  forepart,  but  quite  unfit  to  throw  off  the 
water ;  and  it  is  marvellous  that  an  open  boat  of  this  de- 
scription was  not  swamped.  They  had  on  board  a  rude 
compass,  with  a  rough  chart  of  their  own  islands  and  the 
Bay  of  Bengal,  and  a  wooden  instrument,  shaped  somewhat 
like  the  letter  T,  with  which  they  professed  to  be  able  to  find 
the  latitude,  when  trading  amongst  their  own  islands  ;  but 
beyond  that  range  it  was  of  no  use,  for  when  they  sighted 
land  near  Tavoy,  they  imagined  it  was  part  of  the  Chitta- 
gong  coast.  The  men  appeared  to  be  a  mixture  of  Arabs 
and  western  coast  Indians.  They  were  nine  in  number,  of 
a  robust  make,  olive  complexion,  and  well  featured.  They 
appeared  naturally  ingenious,  from  the  manner  in  which  the 
boat  was  fitted  inside,  and  the  various  implements  on  board. 
They  professed  the  Mohammedan  faith,  and  had  two  reli- 
gious books  on  board,  written  in  the  Arabic  character,  but  in 
the  Maldive  language.  They  could  not  endure  dogs,  and 
said  there  was  not  one  on  their  island. 

Notwithstanding  they  all  arrived  in  tolerable  health,  yet, 
owing  to  change  of  diet  and  climate,  one  of  them  sickened 
and  died  soon  after  their  arrival ;  and  they  were  permitted 
by  the  Siamese  to  bury  him  in  the  Maldivian  manner.  They 
took  the  corpse  and  wrapped  it  up  in  cotton,  with  the  right 
hand  placed  on  the  ear,  and  the  left  on  the  thigh.  It  was 
then  laid  on  the  right  side,  in  a  coffin  of  candou  wood,  and 
carried  to  the  place  of  interment.  The  corpse  was  laid  in 
the  grave,  with  the  head  towards  Mohammed's  tomb  ;  and 
after  being  deposited,  the  grave  was  filled  up  with  white 
sand,  sprinkled  with  water. 

The  Maldivian  manner  of  burying  at  sea  is  to  take  the 
body  and  wash  it,  and  put  it  into  a  coffin,  with  a  written 
palm  leaf,  mentioning  his  religion,  and  requesting  those  who 
may  meet  with  the  corpse  to  give  it  decent  interment.  They 
then  put  a  pearl  in  its  mouth,  sing  over  it,  and,  after  having 
completed  their  ceremonies,  they  place  it  on  a  plank  of  can- 
dou wood,  and  commit  it  to  the  waves. 

Though  the  Maldivians  are  Mohammedans,  yet  they  pre- 
serve many  pagan  customs ;  for  when  crossed  at  sea,  they 


358  A    BOAT    BLOWN    OFF    THE    MALDIVE    ISLANDS. 

pray  to  the  king  of  the  winds  ;  and  in  every  island  there  is 
a  place  where  those  who  have  escaped  danger  make  offer- 
ings to  him  of  little  vessels,  made  for  the  purpose,  in  which 
they  put  fragrant  woods,  flowers,  and  other  perfumes,,  and 
then  turn  the  vessel  adrift,  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  Such 
are  the  superstitious  notions  they  have  of  this  airy  king,  that 
they  dare  not  spit  to  windward  for  fear  of  offending  him  ; 
and  all  their  vessels  being  devoted  to  him,  they  are  kept 
equally  clean  with  their  mosques.  They  impute  crosses, 
sickness,  and  death,  to  the  devil ;  and  in  a  certain  place 
make  him  offerings  of  flowers  and  bouquets,  in  order  to 
pacify  him. 

The  Maldives  were  the  first  islands  discovered  by  the 
European  navigators,  on  their  arrival  in  the  Indies.  They 
are  situated  in  the  Northern  Indian  Ocean,  about  five  hun- 
dred miles  from  Ceylon,  and  reach  from  one  degree  south  to 
seven  degrees  north  latitude.  They  extend  about  six  hun- 
dred miles  in  length,  and  are  upwards  of  one  hundred  in 
the  broadest  part.  They  are  numerous,  but  many  of  them 
are  only  large  hillocks  of  sand.  But,  in  general,  they  are 
very  fertile,  and  in  particular  produce  great  quantities  of 
millet,  and  another  grain  much  like,  of  both  of  which  they 
have  two  harvests  every  year. 

The  water  among  these  islands  is  of  a  dark  color,  and  at 
the  bottom  of  the  channels  is  found  a  substance  like  white 
coral,  which,  when  boiled  in  cocoa  water,  greatly  resembles 
sugar.  There  is  a  very  dangerous  snake  that  frequents  the 
borders  of  the  sea. 

The  houses  of  the  common  people  are  built  of  cocoa 
wood,  and  covered  with  leaves,  sewed  one  within  another. 
But  the  better  sort  have  their  houses  built  of  stone,  which 
is  taken  from  under  the  flats  and  rocks  in  the  following 
manner.  Among  other  trees  in  these  islands,  is  one  called 
candou,  which  is  exceeding  soft ;  and  when  dry,  and  sawed 
into  planks,  is  much  lighter  than  cork.  The  natives,  who 
are  excellent  swimmers,  dive  under  water,  and,  having  fixed 
upon  a  stone  fit  for  their  purpose,  they  fasten  a  strong  rope 
to  it:  after  this,  they  take  a  plank  of  candou  wood,  which, 
having  a  hole  bored  in  it,  is  put  on  the  rope,  and  forced 
down  quite  to  the  stone  ;  they  then  run  a  number  of  other 
boards,  till  the  light  wood  rises  up  to  the  top,  dragging  the 


A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    KING.  359' 

stone  up  with  it.  By  this  contrivance  the  natives  got  up  the 
cannon  and  anchors  of  a  French  ship,  which  was  cast  away 
there  in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century. 

The  Maldivians  are,  in  general,  a  very  polite  people,  par- 
ticularly those  on  the  Island  of  Male ;  they  are  very  ab- 
stemious in  their  diet,  and  naturally  very  cleanly ;  when 
they  rise  in  the  morning,  they  immediately  wash  themselves, 
rub  their  eyes  with  oil,  and  black  their  eyebrows. 

Male,  on  which  these  adventurers  belonged,  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  king.  It  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  rest, 
and  is  about  five  miles  in  circumference.  The  king  has 
here  a  magnificent  palace,  in  which  his  beds  are  hung,  hke 
hammocks,  between  two  pillars,  ornamented  with  gold  ;  and 
when  he  lies  down,  he  is  rocked  to  sleep  by  his  attendants. 
His  usual  dress  consists  of  a  coat  made  of  fine  white  cloth, 
or  cotton,  with  white  and  purple  edgings,  fastened  with  but- 
tons of  solid  gold  ;  under  this  is  a  piece  of  red  embroidered 
tapestry,  that  reaches  down  to  his  heels,  and  is  fastened  with 
a  large  silk  girdle,  fringed,  and  a  great  gold  chain  before, 
with  a  lock  formed  of  the  most  precious  and  valuable  stones. 
The  grandees  and  soldiers  wear  long  hair ;  but  the  king's 
head  is  shaved  once  a  week  ;  he  goes  barelegged,  but  wears 
sandals  of  gilt  copper,  which  must  not  be  worn  by  any  other 
persons  except  those  of  the  royal  family.  When  he  goes 
abroad,  his  dignity  is  particularly  distinguished  by  a  white 
umbrella,  which  no  other  persons,  except  strangers,  are  per- 
mitted to  use.  He  has  three  pages  near  his  person,  one 
of  whom  carries  his  fur,  another  his  sword  and  buckler,  and 
a  third  a  box  of  betel  and  areka,  which  he  almost  constantly 
chews. 

These  islands  are  happily  situated  for  producing  mutual 
commerce  to  the  respective  inhabitants ;  for  though  they 
are  in  the  same  climate,  and  all  of  them  very  fertile,  yet 
they  produce  such  different  commodities,  that  the  people 
in  one  island  cannot  live  without  what  is  found  in  another. 
The  inhabitants  have  likewise  so  divided  themselves,  as 
greatly  to  enhance  this  commercial  advantage;  for  all  the 
weavers  live  in  one  island,  the  goldsmiths  in  another,  and 
so  on  of  the  different  manufactures.  In  order,  however,  to 
make  the  communication  easy,  these  artificers  and  traders 
have  boats  built  high  on  both  sides,  in  which  they  work, 


360  A    BOAT    BLOWN    OFF    THE    MALDIVE    ISLANDS. 

sleep,  and  eat,  while  sailing  from  one  island  to  another,  to 
expose  their  goods  to  sale  ;  and  sometimes  they  are  out  a 
considerable  time  before  they  return  to  their  fixed  habita- 
tions. It  was  during  one  of  these  excursions  that  the  boat 
which  reached  Tavoy  was  overtaken  by  the  south-west 
monsoon. 

That  periodical  storm,  called  the   south-west   monsoon, 
commences  about  the  beginning  of  June.     Its  approach  is 
announced  by  vast  masses  of  clouds,  that  rise  from  the  In- 
dian Ocean,  and  advance  towards  the  north-east,  gathering 
and  thickening  as  they  approach  the  islands  and  main  land. 
After  some  threatening  days,  the  sky  assumes  a  troubled  ap- 
pearance in  the  evening ;  and  the  monsoon,  in  general,  sets 
in  during  the  night.    It  is  attended  with  such  a  thunder-storm 
as  can  scarcely  be  imagined  by  those  who  have  only  seen 
that  phenomenon  in  a  temperate  climate.     It  generally  be- 
gins with  violent  blasts  of  wind,  which  are  succeeded  by 
floods  of  rain.     For  some  hours,  lightning  is  seen  without 
intermission  ;  sometimes,  it  only  illumines  the  sky,  and  shows 
the  clouds  near  the  horizon ;  at  others,  it  discovers  the  dis- 
tant hills,  or  vessels,  and  leaves  all  else  in  darkness,  when 
in  an  instant  it  appears  in  vivid  and  successive  flashes,  and 
exhibits  the  nearest  objects  in  all  the  brightness  of  day. 
During  all  this  time,  the  distant  thunder  never  ceases  to  roll, 
and  is  only  silenced  by  some  nearer  peal,  which  bursts  upon 
the  ear  with  such  a  sudden  and  tremendous  crash,  as  can 
scarcely  fail  to  strike  the  most  insensible  heart  with  awe. 
At  length,   the   thunder  ceases,  and  nothing  is  heard  but 
the  continued  pouring  of  the  rain,  and  the  rushing  of  the 
mighty  gale. 


THE    FIGHTS    AND    ADVENTURES 

OF     THE 

CREW    OF    THE    RUSSIAN    AMERICAN    COMPANY'S    SHIP 

THE 

ST.    NICHOLAI, 


A  Sojourn  of  a  Year  amongst  the  hostile  Natives  of  the 
North'West  Coast  of  America ;  November,  1808. 

BY    THE    SUPERCARGO. 


UR  ship  was  bound  for  the  coast  of  New 
Albion.  On  the  29th  of  September,  1808, 
we  were  opposite  Vancouver's  Cape  Flat- 
tery, in  48°  25'  N.  latitude.  We  followed 
the  coast  during  several  days,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sketching  it.  The  natives  came 
out  in  great  numbers,  and  sometimes  we 
were  surrounded  by  more  than  one  hundred 
of  their  boats,  which,  although  small,  gen- 
erally held  from  three  or  four  to  ten  people. 
We  never  allowed  more  than  three  at  a  time  to  come  on 
board  —  a  caution  which  seemed  the  more  necessary,  as  they 
were  all  armed.  Several  of  them  had  muskets;  others  had 
arrows  pointed  with  stags'  antlers,  iron  lances  without  han- 
dles, and  bone  forks  fixed  on  long  poles ;  moreover,  they 
had  a  species  of  arms  made  of  whale-ribs,  of  the  shape  of 
a  Turkish  sabre,  two  inches  and  a  half  long,  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  thick,  and  blunt  on  both  edges :  this  weapon,  we 
understood,  they  used  in  their  night  attacks,  so  common 
among  these  savages,  killing  their  foes  while  asleep. 
31 


362         A    SIIIFWHECKED    CREW    ON    THE    N.    W.    COAST. 

They  offered  to  us  sea-otters,  reindeer-skins,  and  fish, 
for  sale.  For  a  large  fish  we  paid  them  a  string  of  blue 
beads,  a  quarter  of  an  arshin  long,  and  from  five  to  six 
wershok  of  glass  beads ;  but  for  beaver-skins  they  would 
take  nothing  less  valuable  than  broadcloth. 

A  few  days  after  this,  we  had  a  violent  storm,  which 
lasted  for  three  days,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  south  ;  at 
length,  a  sudden  calm  ensued,  but  the  motion  of  the  waves 
continued  very  high.  At  daybreak,  the  fog,  which  had  till 
then  surrounded  us,  disappeared,  and  we  saw  the  shore  at 
the  distance  of  about  ten  or  twelve  miles.  The  calm  ren- 
dered the  sails  useless,  and  the  high  waves  would  not  allow 
us  to  have  recourse  to  the  oars ;  the  current,  therefore, 
carried  us  rapidly  towards  the  shore.  We  thought  our- 
selves lost,  when  happily  a  north-westerly  breeze  sprang  up, 
by  the  help  of  which  we  got  out  of  our  perilous  situation. 
Soon,  however,  a  new  storm  arose,  which  was  again  inter- 
rupted by  a  calm  ;  and  at  last,  on  the  1st  of  November, 
after  much  anxiety,  and  still  more  unavailing  labor,  our  ship 
was  cast  on  shore  in  47°  66^  N.  latitude,  nearly  opposite  the 
Island  of  Destruction.  Happily,  the  ship  had  run  on  soft 
ground,  and  during  high  water ;  when  the  tide,  therefore, 
had  receded,  we  found  her  still  entire,  although  she  had 
been  terribly  shaken,  and  was  half  full  of  water.  There 
was,  however,  no  possibility  of  saving  her;  we  therefore 
went  on  shore,  taking  with  us  the  guns,  muskets,  ammuni- 
tion, and  every  other  article  which  we  thought  we  might 
find  useful  in  our  desolate  state.  Our  first  care,  when 
landed,  was  to  clean  and  load  our  fire-arms,  as  we  had 
every  mo[nent  reason  to  expect  a  visit  from  the  natives, 
against  whose  cupidity  and  savage  fury  we  had  no  other 
security  than  our  resolution.  This  being  done,  we  made 
two  tents  with  our  sails,  and  had  scarcely  finished,  when  we 
saw  a  host  of  savages  pouring  down  upon  us.  The  mate, 
accompanied  by  four  hunters,  had  gone  on  board,  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  down  the  tackling  from  the  ship.  They 
had  taken  a  burning  match  with  them,  there  being  still  a 
few  guns  left  in  the  brig.  The  captain,  standing  near  her, 
gave  the  necessary  orders,  while  I  had  the  charge  of  watch- 
ing the  motions  of  the  enemy  and  guarding  our  Httle 
camp. 


A    FIGHT. THE    NATIVES    ARE    WORSTED.  363 

Our  tent  was  occupied  by  Mrs.  Bulugin,  (the  captain's 
Wife,)  an  Aleootskian,  from  Kadjak,  a  woman  of  the  same 
nation,  myself,  and  two  natives,  who  had  joined  us  without 
any  invitation.  One  of  them,  a  toen,  (elder,)  invited  me 
to  his  hut,  which,  he  said,  was  not  far  off;  but  prudence 
restrained  me  from  accepting  this  invitation.  I  endeavored 
to  inspire  him  with  a  friendly  feeling  towards  us,  and  he 
promised  that  he  would  not  injure  us,  and  would  also  en- 
deavor to  prevent  his  countrymen  from  doing  so.  In  the 
mean  time,  however,  I  was  informed  that  the  Koljushes  were 
carrying  off  our  stores.  I  entreated  our  people  to  bear  with 
them  as  much  as  possible  before  they  proceeded  to  hostili- 
ties, and  represented  to  the  toen  the  impropriety  of  the  con- 
duct of  his  party,  and  begged  him  to  induce  them  to  desist. 
But  as  we  could  not  converse  freely,  it  took  me  some  time 
to  convey  my  sentiments  to  him,  and  in  the  mean  while  the 
question  was  decided  without  our  interference.  Our, people 
began  to  drive  the  savages  away,  and  they,  in  return,  pelted 
them  with  stones.  As  soon  as  I  was  informed  of  this,  I 
rushed  out  of  the  tent;  but  at  the  same  moment  our  hunters 
fired,  and  I  was  pierced  in  the  chest  with  a  lance.  I. ran 
back  for  a  musket,  and  on  coming  out  again  saw  the  man 
who  had  wounded  me ;  he  held  a  lance  in  one  hand,  and  in 
the  other  he  had  a  stone,  which  he  hurled  at  my  head  with 
such  violence  as  to  make  me  stagger  to  the  ground  ;  I  fired, 
however,  and  he  fell  down  dead.  The  savages  soon  took 
to  flight,  leaving  two  dead  behind,  and  carrying  one  dead 
and  a  great  many  wounded  with  them.  On  our  side,  there 
were  few  who  had  not  received  some  hurt  or  other,  with  the 
exception  of  those  who  had  been  on  board.  Our  captain 
had  been  stabbed  in  the  back.  A  great  many  lances,  cloaks, 
and  hats,  which  strewed  the  field  of  battle,  formed  our  tro- 
phies of  this  sad  victory. 

We  spent  a  comfortless  night,  and  in  the  morning  went 
to  examine  the  country,  with  a  view  of  finding  a  spot  where 
we  might  winter  in  safety ;  but  we  found  the  whole  of  the 
coast  covered  with  thick  forests,  and  so  low,  that  at  high 
water  it  would  be  overflowed;  it  was,  consequently,  in  no 
way  adapted  for  our  purpose.  The  captain  therefore  col- 
lected us  together,  and  informed  us,  that  by  next  spring  the 
Company's  ship  Kadjak  would  touch  upon  this  coast,  in  a 


364         A    SHIPWRECKED    CREW    ON    THE    N.    W.    COAST. 


The  Russians  are  attacked  by  the  Natives. 

harbor  not  more  than  sixty-five  miles  distant  from  the  spot 
where  we  then  were,  to  which  harbor  he  proposed  that  we 
should  immediately  proceed.  As  there  was  neither  bay  nor 
river  marked  on  the  chart  which  could  impede  our  journey, 
he  thought  it  might  be  very  speedily  accomplished  ;  and  that, 
while  the  savages  were  engaged  in  plundering  the  vessel,  we 
should  have  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  since  they  could  de- 
rive no  advantage  from  annoying  usi  We  all,  therefore, 
unanimously  replied,  "  Be  it  as  you  propose ;  we  shall  not 
disobey  you." 

Thus  we  entered  upon  our  march,  each  of  us  armed  with 
two  muskets,  one  pistol,  a  quantity  of  ammunition,  besides 
three  barrels  of  powder,  and  some  provisions,  which  we  car- 
ried with  us.  Previously  to  our  departure,  however,  we  had 
taken  care  to  spike  the  guns,  destroy  the  muskets,  and  throw 
them,  together  with  the  remaining  gunpowder,  pikes,  hatch- 
ets, and  other  iron  tools,  into  the  sea.  We  crossed  a  river 
in  our  boat;  and,  after  advancing  about  twelve  miles  through 
the  forest,  we  stopped  for  the  night,  and,  having  set  our 
watches,  passed  it  without  being  disturbed. 


THE  RUSSIANS  TAKE  REFUGE  IN  A  CAVE.      365 

.  In  the  morning,  we  continued  our  route,  left  the  forest, 
and  again  approached  the  coast,  where  we  halted,  in  order 
to  clean  our  ^re-arms.  About  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  were 
overtaken  by  two  savages,  one  of  whom  was  the  toen  who 
liad  visited  us  on  our  first  landing.  They  gave  us  to  under- 
stand that,  by  following  the  coast,  we  should  meet  with  many 
impediments,  both  from  its  sinuosities  and  from  the  rocks, 
of  which  latter  they  reported  that  some  were  impassable. 
They  also  showed  us  a  beaten  track  through  the  forest, 
which  they  advised  us  to  follow,  after  which  they  prepared 
to  leave  us.  Before  their  departure,  however,  I  endeavored 
to  give  them  a  more  formidable  idea  of  the  power  of  our  fire- 
arms, by  firing  with  a  rifle  at  a  small  ring,  marked  upon  a 
board,  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  The 
ball  pierced  the  board  where  I  had  marked  it ;  and  the  sav- 
ages, after  having  examined  the  aperture  and  measured  the 
distance,  departed. 

During  the  night,  a  violent  storm  arose,  accompanied  by 
rain  and  snow  ;  and,  the  bad  weather  continuing  through  the 
following  day,  we  were  obliged  to  wait  in  a  cave  till  it  was 
over.  During  all  this  time,  we  were  beset  by  the  savages, 
who  frequently  rolled  stones  upon  us  from  the  top  of  the 
hill.  The  weather  clearing  up  the  next  morning,  we  pur- 
sued our  journey  till  we  reached  a  stream  of  some  depth, 
which  we  followed  on  a  beaten  path,  in  the  hope  of  meeting 
with  a  shallow  part  where  we  might  ford  it.  Towards  even- 
ing, we  arrived  at  a  large  hut.  The  inhabitants  had  left;  but 
a  fire  was  still  burning  near  it,  and  it  contained  a  large  sup- 
ply of  dried  kishutches,  (a  species  of  salmon,)  and  opposite 
to  it  poles  were  fixed  in  the  water  for  the  purposes  of  fishing. 
We  took  twenty-five  of  these  fish,  for  which  we  left  about 
six  yards  of  beads  by  way  of  payment;  after  which  we  en- 
camped for  the  night,  about  two  hundred  yards  from  it,  in 
the  forest. 

In  the  morning  we  perceived  that  we  were  surrounded  by 
a  troop  of  savages,  armed  with  lances,  forks,  and  arrows.  J 
went  forward,  and  fired  my  piece  over  their  heads,  which 
had  the  desired  eflfect ;  for  they  immediately  dispersed,  and 
hid  themselves  amongst  the  trees,  and  allowed  us  to  proceed. 
In  this  manner  we  had  continually  to  contend  against  the 
savages,  whom  we  endeavored  to  avoid,  but  who  were  con- 
31* 


366    A  SHIPWRECKED  CREW  ON  THE  N.  W.  COAST. 

stantly  besetting  us,  watching  for  a  favorable  moment  for 
annihilating  us. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  we  met  with  three  men  and  a 
woman,  who  gave  us  some  dried  fish,  speaking  at  the  same 
time  very  ill  of  the  tribe  among  whom  we  had  hitherto  suf- 
fered so  much,  and  extolling  their  own.  They  followed  us 
till  the  evening,  when  we  reached  the  mouth  of  a  small 
river,  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  stood  a  village,  consist- 
ing of  six  huts.  Here  they  advised  us  to  wait  till  high 
water  tide,  which  would  come  on  during  the  night,  when 
they  would  get  us  boats  to  pass  us  over,  adding,  that  it 
would  not  be  safe  to  cross  at  low  water.  ¥/e  felt,  however, 
no  inclination  to  trust  ourselves  in  their  hands  during  the 
night,  and  therefore  retired  to  some  distance,  where  we  en- 
camped till  the  next  morning. 

When  we  came  again  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  we  saw 
nearly  two  hundred  savages  near  the  huts ;  but  as  we  could 
obtain  no  answer  to  any  of  our  questions  respecting  a  pas- 
sage, we  proceeded  upwards  in  search  of  a  ford.  As  soon 
as  the  natives  perceived  our  intention,  they  sent  us  a  boat 
rowed  by  two  men,  who  were  completely  naked.  As  this 
boat  could  not  have  held  above  ten  people  at  a  time,  we 
begged  them  to  send  us  another,  that  we  might  all  cross  at 
the  same  time.  They  complied  with  our  request  in  sending 
a  second  boat,  but  so  small  a  one  that  not  more  than  four 
persons  could  sit  in  it.  It  was  attended  by  the  woman 
whom  we  had  met  the  day  previous.  The  small  boat  was 
assigned  to  Mrs.  Bulugin,  a  male  and  a  female  Aleootskian, 
and  a  youth  who  had  been  apprenticed  on  board  the  ship, 
whilst  nine  of  the  boldest  hunters  embarked  in  the  other, 
the  others  remaining  on  the  bank.  As  soon  as  the  great 
boat  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream,  the  savages  who 
pulled  it  drew  out  a  piece  of  wood  which  closed  a  hole 
which  had  been  purposely  made  at  the  bottom  of  it,  threw 
themselves  into  the  water,  and  swam  on  shore.  The  boat 
was  carried  along  by  the  current,  and  came  at  one  period  so 
near  the  opposite  shore,  that  all  our  people  in  it  were  wound- 
ed by  the  darts  and  arrows  which  the  savages  threw  at  them  ; 
but,  fortunately,  the  current  took  an  opposite  direction,  and 
they  succeeded  in  landing  on  our  side  at  the  moment  when 
the  boat  began  to  sink.     Those  in  the  small  boat,  however, 


ONE    OF    THE    CREW    IS    ABANDONED    IN    THE   WOODS.    367 

all  fell  into  the  hands  of  these  treacherous  barbarians,  who, 
justly  supposing  that  the  muskets  which  had  been  in  the 
boat  must  have  become  useless  by  the  wet,  now  crossed 
over  in  order  to  attack  us.  We,  on  our  part,  intrenched 
ourselves  as  well  as  circumstances  would  admit.  After  they 
had  placed  themselves  in  a  line  opposite  to  our  position,  they 
began  shooting  their  arrows  at  us,  and  once  even  fired  a 
musket ;  luckily,  however,  we  had  a  few  muskets  left  dry, 
with  which  we  ultimately  succeeded  in  driving  off  our  ene- 
mies, after  having  v»^ounded  several  of  them  and  killed  two. 
We,  on  our  side,  had  one  man  mortally  wounded  ;  and  as 
we  would  not  allow  him  to  fall  a  victim  to  those  barbarians, 
we  carried  him  along  with  us ;  but  before  we  had  advanced 
one  mile,  his  sufferings  became  so  great  that  he  begged  us 
to  leave  him  to  die  in  the  forest,  since  our  carrying  him 
with  us  could  not  save  him,  and  would  only  impede  our 
flight ;  we  therefore  took  leave  of  our  dying  companion, 
and  proceeded  onwards  for  some  distance.  At  length  we 
encamped  in  a  convenient  spot  in  a  hilly  part  of  the 
forest. 

Now  that  our  immediate  danger  was  over,  we  began  to 
reflect  on  our  horrible  situation.  Our  poor  captain,  in  par- 
ticular, who  had  lost  a  wife  whom  he  loved  more  than  him- 
self, suffered  an  anguish  beyond  description.  We  could 
not  conceive  whence  all  the  savages  we  had  seen  could  have 
come,  and  how  they  could  possibly  be  the  inhabitants  of 
those  few  huts.  But  we  afterwards  learned  that  they  had 
assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
tercepting us,  and  that  there  were  amongst  them  above  fifty 
of  those  who  had  made  the  first  attack  upon  us  on  our  being 
cast  on  shore.  Some  had  come  even  from  Cape  Greville, 
in  470  2V  latitude. 

During  the  9th,  10th,  and  11th,  it  rained  incessantly,  and 
we  wandered  about  the  hills,  scarcely  knowing  where,  but 
only  anxious  to  hide  ourselves  from  the  natives,  whom  we 
dared  not  meet  in  such  unfavorable  weather,  our  fire-arms 
having  become  perfectly  useless.  We  suffered  dreadfully 
from  hunger,  and  were  compelled  to  feed  upon  sponges,  the 
soles  of  our  boots,  our  furs  and  musket-covers.  At  last, 
however,  even  these  wretched  means  failed  likewise,  and  we 
again  approached  the  last-mentioned  river  j  but  discovering 


363    A  SHIPWRECKED  CREW  ON  THE  N.  W.  COAST. 

two  huts,  and  fearing  to  encounter  the  savages,  the  weather 
being  still  wet,  we  again  retreated  into  the  forest,  where  we 
passed  the  night.  On  the  12th,  our  last  morsel  of  bread 
being  consumed,  and  the  quantity  of  sponges  found  not 
proving  sufficient  for  sixteen  men,  we  killed  our  faithful 
companion,  a  dog,  and  shared  his  flesh  amongst  us.  Our 
distress  had  now  arrived  at  such  a  pitch,  that  our  captain 
resigned  his  command  into  my  hands,  with  the  approbation 
of  the  whole  crew,  declaring  himself  unable  to  conduct  us 
any  longer. 

On  the  13th,  the  rain  continued.  On  the  14th,  the 
weather  cleared  up,  and  we  resolved  to  attack  the  two  huts 
which  we  had  noticed.  We  found  them  deserted  by  all 
their  inmates,  except  a  lad  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  who 
was  a  prisoner.  This  lad  informed  us  that  the  owners  of 
these  huts  had  hastily  crossed  the  river,  on  noticing  our 
footmarks. 

After  taking  twenty-five  dried  fish  for  each  man,  we 
again  retreated  to  the  woods.  We  had  not  proceeded  far, 
however,  when  we  saw  one  of  the  natives  running  after  us, 
apparently  with  the  intention  of  making  some  communica- 
tion ;  but  as  we  were  apprehensive  lest  he  should  discover  our 
retreat,  we  aimed  at  him  with  our  muskets,  and  thus  forced 
him  to  retreat.  We  then  advanced  until  we  reached  the 
edge  of  a  rivulet,  where  our  party  halted.  I  then  went, 
with  one  of  the  hunters  and  an  Aleootskian,  to  a  neighbor- 
ing hill,  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitring.  The  hunter  led 
the  way,  but  had  scarcely  reached  the  summit,  when  I  saw 
an  arrow  pierce  his  back.  I  immediately  called  out  to  the 
Aleootskian  to  draw  the  arrow  out  of  the  wound,  but  at  the 
same  moment  he  was  wounded  himself.  I  immediately 
looked  round,  and  perceived  a  number  of  savages  on  a  hill 
on  the  opposite  side,  and  about  twenty  others  running  to- 
wards us,  with  the  intention  of  cutting  us  oflf  from  our  com- 
rades. The  arrows  fell  about  us  like  hail.  I  fired  my  rifle, 
and  wounded  one  of  the  savages  in  the  leg,  which  induced 
the  whole  party  to  take  to  their  heels,  carrying  the  wounded 
man  with  them  on  their  shoulders.  The  wounds  of  our  two 
men  proved  slight ;  and  we  remained  on  this  spot  for  two 
days,  in  order  to  recruit  our  strength. 

Finding  it  impracticable  to  reach  the  harbor  this  season, 


EFFORTS  ARE  MADE  TO  RANSOM  MRS.  BULUGIN.   369 

having  no  means  of  crossing  the  river,  we  resolved  to  follow 
the  stream  upwards,  till  we  should  reach  a  convenient  spot 
for  fishing,  where  we  intended  to  intrench  ourselves  for  the 
winter;  after  which  we  might  act  according  to  circumstances. 
This  march  was  a  very  laborious  one,  for  we  were  frequently 
compelled  to  leave  the  banks  of  the  river  on  account  of  the 
thick  underwood  and  rugged  precipices  with  which  they  were 
lined ;  the  rain,  moreover,  was  incessant.  After  several 
days'  journey,  our  progress  in  a  straight  line  did  not  exceed 
twenty  wersts.  We  were  fortunate  enough,  however,  to 
meet  occasionally  with  some  of  the  natives  fishing  in  their 
boats  on  the  river,  who  consented  to  sell  us  a  few  fish  for 
beads  and  other  trifles.  At  last,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 
hunger,  we  reached  two  huts ;  and  necessity  again  compelled 
us  to  make  a  forced  purchase  of  fish,  as  the  inhabitants  were 
at  first  unwilling  to  sell  us  any,  alleging  that  the  high  water 
allowed  the  fish  to  pass  over  the  frame-work  which  they  had 
laid  across  the  river,  and  rendered  them  scarce. 

We  encamped  at  a  short  distance,  and  on  the  following 
morning  were  surprised  by  the  arrival  of  two  of  the  natives, 
who,  after  some  general  conversation,  desired  to  know 
whether  we  were  not  inclined  to  ransom  Anna,  (Mrs.  Bulu- 
gin.)  Mr.  B.  instantly  oflfered  his  last  cloak,  and  every  one 
of  us  adding  some  part  of  his  clothes,  we  soon  formed  a 
considerable  heap,  which  we  cheerfully  offered  for  the  ran- 
som of  the  unfortunate  captive.  But  the  savages  insisted 
on  having  four  muskets  in  addition,  declaring  that  their 
countrymen  would  not  part  with  her  for  a  lower  price.  Not 
wishing  to  give  them  an  absolute  denial,  we  demanded  that 
we  should  be  allowed  to  see  the  lady  before  we  took  further 
steps.  The  savages  consented,  and  she  soon  appeared,  at- 
tended by  a  great  number  of  them,  on  the  opposite  shore. 
At  our  request,  two  men  accompanied  her  in  a  boat,  till 
within  fifteen  or  twenty  fathoms  of  us,  where  we  again  be- 
gan bargaining  for  her.  It  would  be  in  vain  to  attempt  a 
description  of  the  ensuing  scene.  The  unfortunate  couple 
were  melted  into  tears,  and  their  convulsive  sobs  almost  de- 
prived them  of  utterance.  We  also  wept ;  and  none  but 
the  unfeeling  natives  remained  unmoved.  The  lady  told 
her  husband  that  she  had  been  humanely  and  kindly  treated, 
that  the  other  prisoners  were  also  alive,  and  now  at  the 


L 


370    A  SHIPWRECKED  CREW  ON  THE  N.  W.  COAST. 

mouth  of  the  river.  In  the  mean  time,  the  natives  persisted 
in  their  demand  of  four  muskets ;  and  finding  us  unyield- 
ing on  this  point,  they  at  length  carried  their  prisoner  back 
again  to  the  opposite  shore.  Mr.  Bulugin,  upon  this,  as- 
suming the  air  of  a  commander,  ordered  me  peremptorily  to 
deliver  up  the  muskets.  In  vain  did  I  urge  the  impolicy  of 
such  an  act,  representing  that  having  but  one  serviceable 
musket  for  each  man  left,  the  giving  up  of  so  many,  which 
would  be  immediately  employed  against  us,  would  lead  to 
our  certain  destruction.  He  persisted  in  his  demand,  till 
the  men  all  declared  that  they  would  not  separate  them- 
selves from  their  muskets  at  any  price.  In  thus  determin- 
ing, we  all  felt  deeply  for  the  distress  of  the  poor  man  ;  but 
when  it  is  considered  that  our  lives  or  liberty  were  at  stake, 
our  conduct  will  be  judged  leniently.  After  this  sad  event, 
we  pursued  our  journey  for  several  days,  till  we  were  sud- 
denly stopped  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow ;  and  as  there  was 
no  appearance  of  its  melting  speedily,  we  began  to  clear  a 
spot,  and  collect  materials  to  build  a  house,  residing  in  the 
mean  time  in  temporary  huts.  We  constantly  saw  boats 
with  natives  on  the  river ;  and  one  day,  a  youth,  the  son  of 
a  toen,  with  two  other  men,  landed  with  his  canoe,  and  paid 
us  a  visit.  He  told  us  that  their  hut  was  not  far  off;  and  on 
our  offering  to  send  one  of  our  men  with  them,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  purchasing  provisions,  they  seemed  highly  pleased, 
expecting,  no  doubt,  to  obtain  another  prisoner ;  but  in  this 
they  were  disappointed :  the  man  went  with  them,  but  the 
young  toen  was  detained  as  a  hostage  till  his  return*  He 
came  back  empty-handed,  for  the  savages,  whom  he  had 
found  to  the  number  of  six  men  and  two  women,  would  not 
sell  him  any  thing.  Having  thus  been  cheated  by  these 
savages,  we  now  detained  them  all,  and  despatched  six  of 
our  men,  armed  with  muskets,  in  their  boat  to  the  hut, 
whence  they  soon  returned  with  all  the  fish  they  could  find 
in  it.  We  then  made  some  presents  to  our  prisoners,  and 
dismissed  them.  Soon  after,  an  old  man  brought  us  ninety 
salmons,  for  which  we  paid  him  with  copper  buttons. 

A  few  days  after  this,  we  entered  upon  our  new  habita- 
tion ;  it  was  a  square  hut,  with  sentry-boxes  at  the  angles. 
Soon  after,  we  were  again  visited  by  the  young  toen,  our 
neighbor :  we  asked  him  to  sell  us  some  fish,  but  receiving 


THEY  SEIZE  THE  FISH  BELONGING  TO  THE  NATIVES.    371 

a  rude  answer,  we  put  him  under  arrest,  declaring  that  he 
should  not  be  released  till  he  had  furnished  us  with  our 
winter  store,  viz.,  four  hundred  salmons,  and  four  bladders 
of  caviare.  He  immediately  despatched  his  companions,  who 
returned  to  him  twice  in  the  course  of  the  week,  holding 
secret  conferences  with  him.  At  last  he  asked  us  for  a  pas- 
sage for  his  boats,  which  being  granted,  we  soon  saw  thirteen 
boats,  containing  about  seventy  people  of  both  sexes,  going 
down  the  river :  these  people  soon  returned  to  us  with  the 
articles  required.  We  also  obtained  of  them  a  boat,  suffi- 
ciently large  to  carry  six  persons.  We  then  dismissed  the 
young  man,  after  presenting  him  with  a  spoiled  musket  and 
a  few  clothes. 

We  frequently  sent  our  boat  up  the  river,  and  wherever 
we  found  any  fish  in  the  huts,  seized  upon  them  as  lawful 
prizes.  One  day,  when  our  boat  was  absent  on  one  of  these 
excursions,  we  had  occasion  to  stop  several  boats  full  of 
savages,  who  were  rowing  in  the  same  direction.  As  soon 
as  our  boat  returned,  we  allowed  them  to  proceed ;  they  de- 
clined, however,  saying  that  as  our  boat  had  taken  away 
their  fish,  they  had  no  further  business.  I  endeavored  to 
make  them  understand,  that,  having  been  driven  to  this  spot 
by  their  cruelty,  we  had  no  other  resource  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  our  lives,  than  seizing  upon  their  stores.  I  assured 
them,  however,  that  we  would  content  ourselves  with  what 
we  could  find  up  the  river,  if  they  would  leave  us  unmo- 
lested for  the  winter ;  nor  would  we  ever,  in  such  case,  send 
our  boat  downwards.  This  diplomatic  point  having  been 
agreed  to,  we  remained  undisturbed  during  the  whole  winter, 
and  in  possession  of  abundance  of  food. 

Being  informed  that  the  savages  were  gathering  in  large 
numbers  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  preparing  to  obstruct 
our  progress  along  the  coast  in  every  possible  manner,  it  was 
resolved  to  build  another  boat,  with  which  we  might,  in  the 
ensuing  spring,  ascend  the  river  as  high  as  possible,  and 
then,  turning  towards  the  south,  endeavor  to  reach  the  river 
Columbia,  about  which  the  natives  are  less  barbarous.  The 
task  was  difficult,  but  it  was  executed ;  and  we  only  waited  for 
mild  weather  to  enter  upon  our  hazardous  expedition,  when 
an  event  occurred  which  frustrated  the  whole  of  our  plan. 

Mr.  Bulugin  resumed  his  command  ;  and  having  embarked 


372         A    SHIPWRECKED    CREW    ON    THE    N.    W.    COAST. 

in  our  boats,  we  left  our  barrack  on  the  8th  of  February, 
1809,  and  sailed  down  the  river.  We  stopped  at  the  same 
spot  where,  the  year  before,  Mrs.  Bulugin  had  been  pro- 
duced to  us.  We  now  clearly  perceived  the  object  of  our 
captain  ;  but  so  great  was  our  compassion  for  his  sufferings, 
that  we  silently  resigned  ourselves  to  the  dangers  to  which 
he  was  about  to  expose  us. 

Here  we  were  visited  by  an  old  man,  who  presented  us 
with  an  isKkat  (a  water-tight  basket  made  of  branches)  full 
of  a  species  of  root  of  which  mariners  brew  a  kind  of  acid 
liquor.  He  showed  himself  very  attentive,  and  offered  to 
pilot  us  down  the  river,  the  navigation  of  which  was  rather 
intricate,  on  account  of  the  many  trees  that  were  floating  in 
it:  we  accepted  his  offer,  and  he  acquitted  himself  honor- 
ably. Having  reached  a  small  island,  he  ordered  us  to  come 
to,  and  he  went  on  shore.  He  returned  soon  after,  inform- 
ing us  that  there  were  many  people  on  the  island,  who 
would  shoot  at  us  if  we  attempted  to  pass;  he  offered, 
therefore,  to  take  us  through  a  narrow  channel,  where  we 
should  be  safe.  We  had  nothing  left  but  to  trust  to  his 
honor,  and  we  were  not  disappointed.  We  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  river  in  safety,  and  landed  on  a  spot  opposite 
an  Indian  village.  Here  our  guide,  whose  name  was  Ljut- 
Ijuljuk,  left  us,  after  we  had  presented  him  with  a  shirt,  a 
neckcloth,  and  a  tin  medal,  cast  for  the  occasion,  and  which 
we  requested  him  to  wear  suspended  about  his  neck. 

Next  morning,  we  w^ere  visited  by  a  great  many  natives ; 
and  among  them  we  recognized  the  woman  who  had  de- 
ceived us,  and  drawn  Mrs.  B.  and  her  companions  into  cap- 
tivity. We  immediately  seized  her,  together  with  a  young 
man,  and,  having  fastened  logs  of  wood  to  their  feet,  we 
declared  that  they  should  remain  our  prisoners  till  our  peo- 
ple were  restored  to  us.  Soon  after,  the  woman's  husband 
made  his  appearance,  and  assured  us  that  they  were  not 
among  them,  having  been  allotted  to  another  tribe ;  but  that 
he  would  go  in  search  of  them,  and  bring  them  to  us  in  four 
days,  if  we  would  only  promise  not  to  kill  his  wife  in  the 
interval. 

We  now  intrenched  ourselves  on  a  neighboring  hill ;  and 
about  a  week  after,  a  number  of  savages  appeared  on  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  river,  ^expressing  a  wish  to  enter  into 


THE    SINGULAR    CONDUCT    OF    MRS.    BULUGIN.  373 

treaty  with  us.  I  immediately  went  down  to  the  water's 
edge,  attended  by  several  of  our  people.  An  elderly  man, 
dressed  in  the  European  style,  appeared  as  the  leader  of  the 
opposite  party,  amongst  whom  was  Mrs.  B.  She  immedi- 
ately told  us  that  our  female  prisoner  was  the  sister  of  this 
chief;  that  they  were  both  kind  people,  to  whom  she  owed 
the  greatest  obligations,  and  demanded  that  we  would  in- 
stantly set  her  at  liberty.  On  our  telling  her,  however,  that 
her  husband  would  not  liberate  her,  unless  she  herself  were 
first  restored  to  him,  she  replied,  to  our  horror  and  conster- 
nation, that  she  was  very  well  contented  to  stay  where  she 
was;  at  the  same  time  advising  us  to  deliver  ourselves  also 
to  her  present  protectors.  Their  chief,  she  said,  was  a  can- 
did and  honorable  man,  well  known  on  this  coast,  who 
would,  without  the  least  doubt,  liberate,  and  send  us  on 
board  two  vessels,  now  lying  in  the  Bay  of  St.  Juan  de 
Fuca.  As  to  the  other  prisoners,  she  said  they  were  dis- 
persed among  the  tribes  in  the  vicinity. 

I  tried  for  some  time  to  persuade  her  to  a  different  deter- 
mination ;  but  finding  her  immovable  in  her  resolution,  I 
returned,  and  reported  her  answer  to  her  husband.  The 
poor  man  thought  at  first  that  I  was  joking,  and  would  not 
believe  me  ;  but,  after  a  little  consideration,  he  fell  into  a 
complete  fury,  took  up  a  musket,  and  swore  he  would  shoot 
her.  But  he  had  not  gone  many  steps  when  he  relented ; 
he  stopped,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  begged  me  to  go  by  my- 
self, and  try  again  to  bring  her  to  reason,  and  even  to  threaten 
that  he  would  shoot  her.  I  went  and  did  as  he  bade  me, 
but  the  woman  resolutely  replied,  "  As  to  death,  I  fear  it 
not ;  I  will  rather  die  than  wander  with  you  again  through 
the  forests,  where  we  may  fall  at  last  into  the  hands  of  some 
cruel  tribe,  whilst  now  I  live  among  kind  and  humane  peo- 
ple :  tell  my  husband  that  I  despise  his  threats." 

This  cruel  answer  almost  deprived  the  unfortunate  and 
doting  husband  of  his  senses :  he  leaned  against  a  tree  and 
wept  bitterly.  In  the  mean  time,  I  reflected  upon  his  wife's 
words,  and  ultimately  determined  to  follow  her  advice.  I 
communicated  my  resolution  to  my  companions,  who  at  first 
unanimously  declared  against  it ;  but  on  Mr.  B.'s  declaring 
that  he  would  follow  my  example,  they  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  consider  till  the  next  morning. 
32 


374         A    SHIPWRECKED    CREW    ON    THE    N.    W.    COAST. 

The  morning  came,  and  the  savages  appeared  again,  re-' 
newing  their  demand  for  the  restoration  of  the  captives. 
This  was  immediately  agreed  to,  and  at  the  same  time  Mr. 
Bulugin,  myself,  and  three  others  of  our  party,  surrendered 
ourselves  to  their  discretion.  The  remainder  of  our  com- 
rades, however,  obstinately  refused  to  follow  :  having  taken, 
therefore,  a  hearty  farewell  of  each  other,  we  departed  with 
the  tribe  to  which  we  now  belonged. 

The  next  day  we  reached  the  village  of  the  Koonishtshati, 
(a  tribe  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Flattery,)  where  my  host, 
the  above-named  chief,  YootramaM,  had  his  winter  resi- 
dence. Mr.  B.  went  to  the  master  of  his  wife,  whilst  the 
three  others  fell  into  various  hands. 

The  remainder  of  our  companions  attempted  to  reach  the 
Island  of  Destruction,  but  foundered  upon  a  rock,  and  after 
losing  all  their  gunpowder,  had  some  difficulty  in  escaping 
with  their  lives.  They  tried,  therefore,  to  overtake  us ;  but 
being  intercepted  by  another  tribe,  they  were  all  taken  pris- 
oners and  dispersed  along  the  coast. 

At  the  end  of  about  a  month,  my  master  returned  to  his 
village  near  Cape  Flattery,  taking  with  him  myself  and  Mr. 
B.,  whom  he  had  purchased  from  his  master,  with  a  promise 
of  purchasing  his  wife  also.  We  lived  for  some  time  very 
comfortably ;  but  afterwards  our  situation  frequently  changed ; 
the  savages  sometimes  selling,  sometimes  giving  us  to  one 
another.  The  fate  of  poor  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.,  who  had  be- 
come reconciled  to  each  other,  was  truly  cruel ;  sometimes 
they  were  united  together,  sometimes  they  were  separated, 
and  in  constant  fear  of  being  so  forever.  At  last  death 
kindly  released  them;  the  lady  died  in  August,  1809,  and 
in  February  of  the  following  year,  her  disconsolate  husband 
followed  her,  but  not  to  the  grave,  for  his  wife  had  been  at 
her  death  in  the  hands  of  such  a  barbarian,  that  he  would 
not  allow  her  a  burial,  but  had  her  exposed  in  the  forest. 

In  the  mean  time,  I  passed  the  greater  part  of  my  cap- 
tivity with  the  good  Yootramaki,  who  treated  me  like  a 
friend.  These  people  are  like  children,  and  pleased  with 
every  trifle :  I  found,  therefore,  no  difficulty  in  ingratiating 
myself  with  them  ;  and  the  construction  of  a  paper  kite  and 
a  watchman's  rattle,  spread  my  reputation,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  Russian  nation  in  general,  far  among  them.     At  last 


AN    AMERICAN    CAPTAIN    RANSOMS    THEM.  375 

their  veneration  for  my  abilities  was  carried  so  far,  that,  in 
one  of  the  general  assemblies  of  the  toens,  it  was  resolved 
that  they  would  henceforward  consider  me  as  one  of  their 
equals ;  after  which  I  always  enjoyed  the  same  honors  as 
my  master,  or  any  other  chief.  They  often  wondered  how 
Bulugin,  who  could  neither  shoot  birds  flying  nor  use  the 
hatchet,  could  have  been  our  chief. 

During  the  ensuing  winter,  so  great  a  dearth  of  provisions 
ensued,  that  one  beaver  was  paid  for  ten  salmons.  With 
some  chiefs  the  want  was  so  great,  that  three  of  our  country- 
men took  refuge  with  me,  and  my  master  was  kind  enough 
to  support  them  till  the  next  spring,  when  they  were  de- 
manded back  by  their  owners,  and  I  had  influence  enough 
to  insure  them  immunity  for  their  flight. 

In  the  month  of  March,  we  again  removed  to  our  summer 
village,  where  I  built  for  myself  a  hut  with  embrasures  for 
defence,  and  of  so  novel  a  construction,  that  the  chiefs  came 
from  great  distances  in  order  to  see  and  admire  it.  In  the 
mean  time,  however,  God  had  heard  our  prayers,  and  pro- 
vided for  our  deliverance.  On  the  6th  of  May,  an  Ameri- 
can brig,  the  Lydia,  Captain  Brown,  visited  this  coast.  I 
went  on  board,  and  found  one  of  our  companions,  whom 
the  captain  had  released  near  the  River  Columbia.  This 
honest  tar  immediately  offered  to  ransom  the  whole  of  us. 
The  savages,  who  thought  this  a  good  opportunity  for  ob- 
taining large  quantities  of  European  goods,  made  such  exor- 
bitant demands,  that  Captain  Brown,  to  cut  the  matter  short, 
took  one  of  their  chiefs  into  custody,  and  declared  that  he 
would  detain  him  till  all  the  Russians  were  delivered  up 
to  him  for  a  moderate  price,  for  which  several  of  us  had 
already  been  ransomed.  This  proceeding  had  the  desired 
eflfect ;  in  less  than  two  days,  he  liberated  thirteen  of  us. 
Seven  had  died  during  our  captivity ;  one  had  been  sold  to 
a  distant  nation,  among  whom  he  remained  ;  and  one  was 
ransomed  in  1809,  by  another  American  vessel,  near  the 
River  Columbia. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  our  vessel  weighed  anchor,  and  after 
touching  at  several  points  of  the  coast,  for  the  purpose  of 
barter,  we  were  safely  landed,  on  the  9th  of  June,  at  New 
Archangelsk. 


THE    SUFFERINGS 

OF 

FOUR    NEGROES    WHO    ESCAPED    FROM 
THE    SEYCHELLES   ISLANDS, 

IN     THE 

INDIAN    OCEAN, 

AND 

WERE    PICKED   UP  IN    THE    MOZAMBIQUE  CHANNEL  5 
October,  1823. 


N  1823,  as  H.  B.  M.  ship  Barracouta,  Captaia 
Boeteler,  was  running  for  the  eastern  coast  of 
Africa,  the  following  distressed  fugitives  were 
picked  up  in  the  Mozambique  Channel. 

''  We  passed  through  the  Comoro  Islands  with 
a  strong  wind ;  and  on  the  22d  of  October,  when 
about  eighty  miles  from  the  land  of  Africa,  with 
almost  a  calm  prevailing,  we  observed,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  afternoon,  a  distant  white  speck 
on  the  water,  apparently  slowly  approaching.  It 
was  supposed  to  be  a  large  bird  of  the  albatross 
species,  magnified  beyond  its  natural  size  by  re- 
fraction ;  and  it  was  only  just  before  a  breeze 
sprung  up,  that  it  was  discovered  to  be  a  boat. 
We  arrested  our  course  instantly,  feeling  confident  that 
nothing  so  small  would  be  out  so  far  from  the  land  from 
any  other  cause  than  necessity. 

"•  As  she  approached,  we  perceived  her  to  be  a  large 
canoe,  with  a  sail,  formed  by  a  small  piece  of  blue  dungaree 
and  an  old  cotton  sheet.  In  her  sat  four  black  men,  hag- 
gard and  emaciated  in  their  appearance,  while  a  fifth  lay 
stretched  at  full  length  under  the  seats,  apparently  In  a 


ONE    OP    THE    SLAVES    DIES.  377 

dying  state.  They  lowered  their  sail,  and  seemed  to  hesi- 
tate whether  or  not  they  should  venture  on  board ;  upon 
which  we  endeavored  to  remove  their  fears,  by  friendly  mo- 
tions to  advance,  and  by  means  of  one  of  our  seamen,  who 
spoke  a  little  Arabic.  We  imagined,  of  course,  that  they 
belonged  to  the  coast,  but,  by  venturing  too  far  out,  had  been 
blown  off.  To  our  astonishment,  they  replied  in  French, 
inquiring,  in  a  most  anxious  manner,  if  we  were  of  that 
nation  ;  and  on  receiving  an  answer  to  the  contrary,  they 
uttered  a  cry  of  joy,  and  paddled  alongside  as  fast  as  their 
little  remaining  strength  would  allow. 

"  Upon  coming  on  board,  it  was  evident  that 

*  Famine,  despair,  cold,  thirst,  and  heat, 
Had  done  their  work  on  them  by  turns.* 

*  Water !  water!  for  God's  sake,  give  us  water! '  they  fran- 
tically exclaimed,  as  they  feebly  staggered  on  board.  It  was 
measured  out  in  small  quantities,  mixed  with  wine,  and 
given  to  them  at  intervals,  accompanied  with  small  portions 
of  soft  food. 

"  The  poor  negro  who  was  lying  on  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  as  he  was  humanely  lifted  on  board  by  the  sailors, 
pointed  to  his  frothy  lips,  as  the  word  water  faintly  rattled 
in  his  throat.  A  small  quantity  was  put  to  his  Hps ;  but  the 
larger  portion  came  up  again,  tinctured  with  blood,  the 
swollen  and  inflamed  glands  having  nearly  stopped  up  the 
windpipe.  This  intelligent  fellow  joyfully  expressed  the 
happiness  he  felt  at  escaping  from  a  fate  which  he  before 
considered  as  inevitable;  and  as  the  ship  had  a  skilful  sur- 
geon on  board,  every  attempt,  which  humanity  or  science 
could  dictate,  was  made  to  arrest  the  flight  of  life,  which 
was  hovering  on  his  Hps.  Yet  how  short  the  illusion  1  How 
like  the  many  and  transient  joys  of  this  life  !  Before  he  had 
been  on  board  an  hour,  his  pulse  was  gone  ;  and  ere  the  sun 
had  touched  the  shores  of  his  native  Africa,  the  mountains 
of  which  were  just  perceptible  in  the  western  horizon,  he 
had  drank  of  the  bitter  cup  prepared  for  all  the  living; 
having  expired  from  mere  debility,  sensible  to  the  last,  and 
still  clinging  to  the  hope  of  life  and  liberty. 

"It  was  some  time  before  the  others  were  sufliciently  re- 
32* 


oT8  THE    ESCAPE    OF    FOUR    NEGROES. 

covered  to  make  us  acquainted  with  their  history.  It  then 
appeared  that  they  were  from  the  Seychelles  Islands,  vvherCj 
oppressed  by  the  cruelty  of  their  master,  a  Frenchman,  they 
seized  his  canoe,  and  quitted  the  small  island,  one  of  the 
Amirantes,  where  they  had  been  left  without  an  overseer. 
Not  knowing  which  way  to  steer,  and  careless  of  the  port 
they  might  reach,  all  places  appearing  preferable  to  that 
from  which  the  tyranny  of  their  master  had  driven  them, 
they  had  taken  what  articles  they  conceived  might  be  ser- 
viceable ;  and  amongst  them  was  fortunately  the  curious 
sail  before  mentioned,  to  w^hich  they  owed  their  preserva- 
tion, as  the  glare  of  the  sun  upon  the  white  sheet  first 
.attracted  our  attention,  which  the  dark  shade  of  the  boat 
would  otherwise  never  have  done.  They  had  a  little  fish, 
some  rice,  and  about  a  gallon  of  w^ater,  upon  commencing 
their  arduous  voyage  ;  but  from  never  having  experienced 
the  necessity  of  looking  to  the  future,  they  improvidently 
consumed  their  little  store  in  the  first  kw  days,  and  when 
picked  up  by  us,  were  in  almost  the  last  stage  of  starvation, 
and  certainly  could  not  have  survived  more  than  a  day 
longer  without  nourishment.  By  great  care  and  attention, 
they  survived  ;  but  remained  in  a  dreadfully  weak  and  de- 
bilitated state  for  a  considerable  time.  Seventeen  notches 
in  the  side  of  their  canoe,  indicated  the  many  days  of  mis- 
ery and  distress  they  had  passed  during  this  voyage  of  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  —  a  distance  scarcely  credible,  con- 
sidering the  means  they  had  for  its  performance. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  rigor  of  the  laws  at  the  Seychelles 
Islands,  by  which  an  attempt  to  escape  from  slavery  is  re- 
garded as  a  capital  offence,  desertions  are  constantly  taking 
place,  and  to  such  an  extent  that,  although  we  afterwards 
visited  those  islands,  we  could  never  ascertain  to  whom  those 
picked  up  by  the  Barracouta  belonged.  It  is  extraordinary 
that  the  proprietors  of  the  slaves,  now  that  they  are  so  diffi- 
cult to  obtain,  should  pursue  the  same  line  of  policy  respect- 
ing their  moral  conduct  as  when  they  were  both  numerous 
and  cheap  —  it  not  being  at  all  uncommon  for  twenty  men 
to  be  placed  on  an  island,  for  its  cultivation,  with  not  more 
than  two  or  three  women  as  their  companions. 

"  I  shall  not  for  a  long  time  forget  the  impatient  tosses  of: 
the  head,  and  angry  looks,  displayed  by  a  lady,  wheq  the 


THE    CAUSE    OF    NEGRO    DESERTION. 


379 


subject  of  slave  marriages  was  canvassed,  during  a  conver- 
sation at  the  Seychelles.  *  A  negro,  a  paltry  negro  ever  un- 
derstand or  conform  to  the  social  tie  of  wedlock  !  No,  never, 
never  ! '  Yet  she  was  English.  It  is  this  privation  of  female 
society'  that  disgusts  the  slaves,  and  induces  them  to  desert, 
although  they  are  aware  that  death  is  the  penalty  of  the 
offence.*^ 


THE    EXPLOSION 


STEAMBOAT    MOSELLE, 

AT  CINCINNATI,   ON  THE  OHIO  RIVER; 

CONTAINING 

A  minute  Detail  of  that  terrible  Event,  and  of  the 
tremendous  Force  of  the  Steam;  April,  1838. 

BY    JUDGE    JAMES    HALL. 


HE  recent  explosion  of  the  steamboat 
MoseUe,  at  Cincinnati,  affords  a  most 
awful  illustration  of  the  danger  of 
steam  navigation,  when  conducted  by 
ignorant  or  careless  men,  and  fully 
sustains  the  remark,  that  *'  the  accidents 
are  almost  wholly  confined  to  insufficient 
or  badly-managed  boats." 
The  Moselle  was  a  new  boat,  intended  to  ply  regularly 
between  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  She  had  made  but  two 
or  three  trips,  but  had  already  estabhshed  a  high  reputation 
for  speed  ;  and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  those  by  whom 
she  was  owned  and  commanded,  became  ambitious  to  have 
her  rated  as  a  *  crack  boat,'  and  spared  no  pains  to  exalt  her 
character.  The  newspapers  noticed  the  quick  trips  of  the 
Moselle,  and  passengers  chose  to  embark  in  this  boat  in 
preference  to  others.  Her  captain  was  an  enterprising 
young  man,  without  much  experience,  bent  upon  gaining 
for  his  boat,  at  all  hazards,  the  distinction  of  being  the  fast- 
est upon  the  river,  and  not  fully  aware,  perhaps,  of  the  in- 
evitable danger  which  attended  this  rash  experiment. 

On  Wednesday,  the   25th  of   April,  between  four  and 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  this  shocking  catastrophe  oc- 


A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    PASSENGERS.  381 

curred.  The  boat  was  crowded  with  passengers ;  and,  as 
is  usually  the  case  on  our  western  rivers,  in  regard  to  vessels 
passing  westerly,  the  largest  proportion  were  emigrants. 
They  were  mostly  deck  passengers,  many  of  whom  were 
poor  Germans,  ignorant  of  any  language  but  their  own,  and 
the  larger  portion  consisted  of  families,  comprising  per- 
sons of  all  ages.  Although  not  a  large  boat,  there  were 
eighty-five  passengers  in  the  cabin,  which  was  a  much  larger 
number  than  could  be  comfortably  accommodated ;  the 
number  of  deck  passengers  is  not  exacdy  known,  but  it  is 
estimated  at  between  one  hundred  and  twenty  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  officers  and  crew  amounted  to 
thirty,  making  in  all  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  souls. 

It  was  a  pleasant  afternoon,  and  the  boat,  with  steam 
raised,  delayed  at  the  wharf,  to  increase  the  number  — 
already  too  great  —  of  her  passengers,  who  continued  to 
crowd  in,  singly  or  in  companies,  all  anxious  to  hurry  on- 
wards in  the  first  boat,  or  eager  to  take  passage  in  the  fast- 
running  Moselle.  They  were  of  all  conditions  —  the  mili- 
tary officer  hastening  to  Florida  to  take  command  of  his 
regiment  —  the  merchant  bound  to  St.  Louis  —  the  youth 
seeking  a  field  on  which  to  commence  the  career  of  life — • 
and  the  indigent  emigrant,  with  his  wife  and  children^ 
already  exhausted  in  purse  and  spirits,  but  still  pushing  on- 
ward to  the  distant  frontier. 

On  leaving  the  wharf,  the  boat  ran  up  the  river  about  a 
mile,  to  take  in  some  families  and  freight,  and  having  touched 
at  the  shore  for  that  purpose,  for  a  few  minutes,  was  about 
to  lay  her  course  down  the  river.  The  spot  at  which  she 
thus  landed  was  at  a  suburb  of  the  city,  called  Fulton,  and 
a  number  of  persons  had  stopped  to  witness  her  departure, 
several  of  whom  remarked,  from  the  peculiar  sound  of  the 
steam,  that  it  had  been  raised  to  an  unusual  height.  The 
crowd  thus  attracted  —  the  high  repute  of  the  Moselle  — 
and  certain  vague  rumors  which  began  to  circulate,  that  the 
captain  had  determined,  at  every  risk,  to  beat  another  boat 
which  had  just  departed  —  all  these  circumstances  gave  an 
unusual  eclat  to  the  departure  of  this  ill-fated  vessel. 

The  landing  completed,  the  bow  of  the  boat  was  shoved 
Irom  the  shore,  when  an  explosion  took  place,  by  which  the 


382   THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  STEAMBOAT  MOSELLE. 

whole  of  the  forepart  of  the  vessel  was  literally  blown  up. 
The  passengers  were  unhappily  in  the  most  exposed  posi- 
tions—  on  the  deck,  and  particularly  on  the  forward  part, 
sharing  the  excitement  of  the  spectators  on  shore,  and  antici- 
pating the  pleasure  of  darting  rapidly  past  the  city  in  .the 
swift  Moselle.  The  power  of  the  explosion  was  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  steam  ;  its  effect  was  like  that  of  a 
mine  of  gunpowder.  All  the  boilers,  four  in  number,  were 
simultaneously  burst ;  the  deck  was  blown  into  the  air,  and 
the  human  beings  who  crowded  it  hurried  into  instant  de- 
struction. Fragments  of  the  boilers,  and  of  human  bodies, 
were  thrown  both  to  the  Kentucky  and  the  Ohio  shore :  and 
as  the  boat  lay  near  the  latter,  some  of  these  helpless  vic- 
tims must  have  been  thrown  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  body 
of  Captain  Perry,  the  master,  was  found,  dreadfully  mangled, 
on  the  nearest  shore.  A  man  was  hurled  with  such  force, 
that  his  head,  with  half  his  body,  penetrated  the  roof  of  a 
house,  distant  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  boat. 
Of  the  number  who  had  crowded  this  beautiful  boat,  a  few 
minutes  before,  nearly  all  were  hurled  into  the  air,  or 
plunged  into  the  water.  A  few,  in  the  after  part  of  the 
vessel,  who  were  uninjured  by  the  explosion,  jumped  over* 
board.  An  eye-witness  says  that  he  saw  sixty  or  seventy  in 
the  water  at  one  time,  of  whom  not  a  dozen  reached  the 
shore. 

The  news  of  this  awful  catastrophe  spread  rapidly 
through  the  city  ;  thousands  rushed  to  the  spot,  and  the 
most  benevolent  aid  was  promptly  extended  to  the  suffer- 
ers —  to  such,  we  should  rather  say,  as  were  within  the  reach 
of  human  assistance  —  for  the  majority  had  perished. 

The  writer  was  among  those  who  hastened  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  wreck,  and  witnessed  a  scene  so  sad 
that  no  language  can  depict  it  with  fidelity.  On  the  shore 
lay  twenty  or  thirty  mangled  and  still  bleeding  corpses,  while 
others  were  in  the  act  of  being  dragged  from  the  wreck  or 
the  water.  There  were  men  carrying  away  the  wounded, 
and  others  gathering  the  trunks,  and  articles  of  wearing  ap- 
parel, that  strewed  the  beach. 

;  The  survivors  of  this  awful  tragedy  presented  the  most 
touching  objects  of  distress.     Death  had  torn  asunder  the 


THE    PAINFUL    SITUATION    OF    RELATIVES.  385 

most  tender  ties ;  but  the  rupture  had  been  so  sudden  and 
violent,  that  as  yet  none  knew  certainly  who  had  been  taken 
nor  who  had  been  spared.  Fathers  were  inquiring  for  chil- 
dren, children  for  parents,  husbands  and  wives  for  each 
other.  One  man  had  saved  a  son,  but  lost  a  wife  and  five 
children.  A  father,  partially  deranged,  lay  with  a  wounded 
child  on  one  side,  a  dead  daughter  on  the  other,  and  his 
wife,  wounded,  at  his  feet.  One  gentleman  sought  his  wife 
and  children,  who  were  as  eagerly  seeking  him  in  the  same 
crowd  —  they  met,  and  were  reunited. 

A  female  deck  passenger,  that  had  been  saved,  seemed 
inconsolable  for  the  loss  of  her  relations.  To  every  ques- 
tion put  to  her,  she  would  exclaim,  "  O  my  father !  my 
mother  !  my  sisters  !  "  A  little  boy,  about  four  or  five  years 
of  age,  whose  head  was  much  bruised,  appeared  to  be  re- 
gardless of  his  wounds,  but  cried  continually  for  a  lost 
father ;  while  another  lad,  a  little  older,  was  weeping  for  his 
whole  family. 

One  venerable-looking  man  wept  a  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren ;  another  was  bereft  of  nine  members  of  his  family. 
A  touching  display  of  maternal  affection  was  evinced  by  a 
lady,  who,  on  being  brought  to  the  shore,  clasped  her  hands 
and  exclaimed,  "Thank  God,  I  am  safe!"  but  instantly 
recollecting  herself,  ejaculated  in  a  voice  of  piercing  agony, 
"Where  is  my  child?"  The  infant,  which  had  been  saved, 
was  brought  to  her,  and  she  fainted  at  the  sight  of  it. 

A  public  meeting  was  called  in  Cincinnati,  at  which  the 
mayor  presided,  when  the  facts  of  this  melancholy  occur- 
rence were  discussed,  and  among  other  resolutions  passed, 
was  one  deprecating  "  the  great  and  increasing  carelessness 
in  the  navigation  of  steam  vessels,"  and  urging  this  subject 
upon  the  consideration  of  congress.  No  one  denied  that 
this  sad  event,  which  had  filled  our  city  with  consternation, 
sympathy,  and  sorrow,  was  the  result  of  a  reckless  and 
criminal  inattention  to  their  duty,  on  the  part  of  those 
having  the  care  of  the  Moselle;  nor  did  any  one  attempt  to 
palliate  their  conduct.  Committees  were  appointed  to  seek 
out  the  sufferers,  and  perform  the  various  duties  which  hu- 
manity dictated.  Through  the  exertions  of  the  gentlemen 
appointed  on  this  occasion,  lists  were  obtained  and  pub- 
33 


386  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  STEAMBOAT  MOSELLE. 

lished,  showing  the  names  of  the  passengers  as  far  as  could 
be  obtained,  and  giving  the  following  result :  — 

Killed 81 

Badly  wounded 13 

Missing 55 

Saved 117 

266 

As  many  strangers  entered  the  boat  but  a  few  minutes 
before  its  departure,  whose  names  were  not  registered,  it  is 
probable  that  the  whole  number  of  souls  on  board  was  not 
less  than  two  hundred  and  eighty.  Of  the  missing,  many 
dead  bodies  have  since  been  found,  but  very  few  have  been 
added  to  the  list  of  saved.  The  actual  number  of  lives 
lost,  therefore,  does  not  vary  much  from  one  hundred  and 

fifty- 

The  following  observations  are  made  in  the  report  of 
the  committee,  relative  to  the  tremendous  force  of  the 
steam :  — 

"  Of  the  immense  force  exerted  in  this  explosion,  there 
is  abundant  evidence ;  still,  in  this  extraordinary  occurrence 
in  the  history  of  steam,  I  deem  it  important  to  be  particular 
in  noting  the  facts,  and  for  that  purpose  I  have  made  some 
measurements  and  calculations.  The  boat  was  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  feet  from  the  water's  edge,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-two  from  the  top  of  the  bank,  which  was  forty- 
three  feet  in  perpendicular  height  above  the  water.  The 
situations  of  projected  bodies  ascertained  were  as  follows  :  — 
Part  of  the  body  of  a  man,  thrown  nearly  horizontally  into 
a  skiff  at  the  water's  edge,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet ; 
the  body  of  the  captain,  thrown  nearly  to  the  top  of  the 
bank,  two  hundred  feet ;  the  body  of  a  man,  thrown 
through  the  roof  of  a  house,  at  the  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  feet,  and  fifty-nine  feet  above  the  water's 
edge ;  a  portion  of  the  boiler,  containing  about  sixty 
square  feet,  and  weighing  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  thrown  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet,  and  about 
two  thirds  of  the  way  up  the  bank;  a  second  portion  of 


THE    GREAT    EXPLOSIVE    POWER    OF    THE    STEAM.       387 

the  boiler,  of  about  thirty-five  square  feet,  and  weighing 
about  two  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds,  thrown  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  on  the  hill  side,  and  seventy  feet  in  alti- 
tude ;  a  third  portion  of  the  boiler,  twenty-one  square  feet, 
one  hundred  and  forty-seven  pounds,  thrown  three  hundred 
and  thirty  feet,  into  a  tan-yard  ;  a  fourth  portion,  of  forty- 
eight  square  feet,  and  weighing  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  pounds,  thrown  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  into  the 
garret  of  a  back-shop  of  a  tan-yard,  having  broken  down 
the  roof  and  driven  out  the  gable-end.  The  last  portion 
must  have  been  thrown  to  a  very  great  height,  as  it  had  en- 
tered the  roof  at  an  angle  of  at  least  sixty  degrees.  A  fiftli 
portion,  weighing  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  pounds,  went 
obliquely  up  the  river  eight  hundred  feet,  and  passing  over 
the  houses,  landed  on  the  sidewalk,  the  bricks  of  which 
had  been  broken  and  driven  deeply  into  the  ground  by  it. 
This  portion  had  encountered  some  individual  in  its  course, 
as  it  came  stained  with  blood.  Such  was  the  situation  of 
the  houses  that  it  must  have  fallen  at  an  angle  as  high  as 
forty-five  degrees.  It  has  been  stated,  that  bodies  of  per- 
sons were  projected  quite  across  the  river  into  Kentucky. 
I  can  find  no  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this :  on  the  con- 
trary, Mr.  Kerr  informs  me,  that  he  made  inquiries  of  the 
people  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  '  could  not  learn  that  any 
thing  was  seen  to  fall  farther  than  half  way  across  the 
river,'  which  is  at  that  place  about  sixteen  hundred  feet 
wide." 


THE   UNKNOWN   FATE 

OF 

M.    DE    BLOSSEVILLE, 

OF     THE 

FRENCH  BRIG-OF-WAR  LILLOISE, 


SAILED  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  DISCOVERY  TO  THE  ARCTIC  OCEAN, 
AND  NEVER  RETURNED ; 

With  the  Detailed  Journals  of  the  Three  Voyages, 
undertaken  by  the  French  Government,  in  Search 
of  that  celebrated  but  unfortunate  Navigator  and 
his  Comrades ;  1833. 

TRANSLATED    EXPRESSLY    FOR    THIS    WORK. 

THE     ORIGINAL     NARRATIVES     ARE     PRESERVED     IN     THE     ARCHIVES     OF     THE 
FRENCH     NAVV. 

HE  great  and  persevering  exertion 
made  by  the  French  nation  to  rescue 
M.  de  Blosseville  and  his  compan- 
ions in  the  Lilloise,  if  they  survived, 
or  to  discover  traces  of  them,  if  they 
had  perished,  has  justly  excited  the 
sensibihties  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  is  a  most  honorable  trait  in  the 
French  character. 

In  the  fishing  season,  the  French 
government  annually  send  a  vessel  of  vs^ar  to  the  coast  of 
Iceland,  to  protect  the  fishermen,  and  to  render  assistance 
to  those  who  meet  with  disasters.  In  1833,  the  officer  de- 
spatched on  this  service   was  M.  de  Blosseville,  the  most 


INSTRUCTIONS    OF    THE    MINISTER    OF    MARINE. 


389 


zealous,  promising,  and  scientific  officer  in  the  French  navy. 
He  was  already  possessed  of  experience,  having  been  on 
voyages  of  discovery  and  exploration  in  the  southern  hem- 
isphere. 


The  French  Brig-of-War  the  Lilloise. 

He  was  instructed  by  the  minister  of  marine  to  avail 
himself  of  this  opportunity  to  explore  a  part  of  the  coast 
of  Greenland ;  and  to  further  the  cause  of  science,  by 
making  observations,  and  collecting  objects  of  natural  his- 
tory. In  pursuance  of  this  object,  he  sailed  from  Dunkirk, 
33  * 


390         THE    UNKNOWN    FATE     OF    M.    DE    BL0SSE7ILLE. 

in  the  brig-of-war  Lilloise,  in  July,  provided  with  an  effi- 
cient crew.  After  reaching  Iceland,  and  remaining  a  few 
days  among  the  fishing  vessels,  he  proceeded  westward  to 
the  coast  of  Greenland  ;  and  in  exploring  those  icy  seas  he 
received  some  damage  in  a  gale  of  wind.  He  returned  to 
Vapnafiord,  in  Iceland,  to  repair  damages ;  and  sent  a  re- 
port of  his  proceedings,  up  to  that  time,  to  the  minister  of 
marine,  which  was  the  last  communication  ever  received 
from  this  unfortunate  officer.  The  brig  was,  however,  seen 
after  this,  on  the  14th  of  August,  under  double-reefed  top- 
sails, and  her  lower  sails  close-hauled ;  and  was  last  seen 
and  recoornized  on  the  25th  of  August. 

As  the  Lilloise  did  not  come  home  in  autumn,  and  no 
intelligence  of  her  having  been  received,  the  friends  of 
science  and  humanity  became  justly  alarmed  for  their 
safety;  and  in  the  spring  of  1834,  the  French  government 
despatched  the  brig-of-war  Bordelaise  to  search  after  the 
missing  vessel.  The  command  of  this  expedition  was  given 
to  Captain  J)utaillis,  an  experienced  officer,  whose  official 
narrative,  as  given  to  admiral  de  Rigny,  the  minister  of 
marine,  after  his  return  from  the  search,  we  will  now 
insert. 


The  Journal  and  Conjectures  of  Captain  Dutaillis,  of  the 
Brig  Bordelaise,  during  the  First  Voyage  in  Search 
of  M.  de  Blosseville,  in  the  Summer  of  1834. 

Admiral  :  —  In  receiving  from  your  excellency  the  hon- 
orable mission  of  searching  the  dangerous  seas  of  the 
northern  regions,  for  some  traces  of  the* brig  Lilloise,  con- 
cerning whose  fate  the  cause  of  science,  and  the  French 
nation,  have  conceived  the  greatest  alarm,  and  being  fully 
aware  of  the  deep  responsibility  of  conducting  such  an  en- 
terprise,—  in  order  thatl  might  justify  the  high  confidence 
reposed  in  me,  I  soon  forgot  the  natural  difficulties  which 
attended  such  an  expedition,  and  looked  forward  only  to  the 
result  which  could  still  be  hoped  for.  From  that  moment, 
all  my  effi^rts  have  been  directed  to  this  end.     As  I  was 


THE    CONJECTURES    OF    CAPTAIN    DUTAILLIS.  391 

almost  entirely  v^ithout  previous  exact  information,  which 
might  guide  my  steps,  or  throw  light  on  my  operations,  I 
have  often  been  obliged  to  seek  for  a  rule  of  conduct  in  the 
reasonings  and  suggestions  of  the  moment.  The  elements 
which  were  wanting,  I  have  hoped  to  supply  by  zeal  and 
activity ;  and  I  have  the  presumption  to  believe  that  the 
Bordelaise  has  exhausted  all  the  means  at  her  disposal  to 
obtain  what  was  expected  of  her  investigations. 

The  complete  obscurity  which  envelops  the  fate  of  M. 
de  Blosseville,  very  naturally  conducts  the  mind  to  form  the 
following  conjectures :  — 

First,  That  the  Lilloise,  anterior  to  the  4th  of  August, 
1833,  after  having  met  with  great  damages,  and  forced  to 
harbor  a  second  time  in  one  of  the  ports  north  or  west  of 
Iceland,  had  been  detained  there  by  the  ice,  or  state  of  the 
vessel. 

Second.  Or,  having  been  arrested  by  the  ice  on  the 
coast  of  Greenland,  the  crew  would  have  been  able,  in  the 
most  favorable  supposition,  to  gain  the  land  and  reach  a 
Danish  colony,  and  return  by  one  of  those  vessels  that  carry 
on  the  whale  fishery  in  the  west. 

Third.  Or,  that  she  had  perished  at  sea  by  one  of  those 
unfortunate  occurrences  so  frequent  in  those  parts. 

The  first  of  these  conjectures  being  already  strengthened 
by  the  information  furnished  at  Dunkirk,  appearing  to  be 
founded  on  the  most  probable  basis,  my  first  endeavors 
will  be  directed  towards  the  verification  of  these  indications  ; 
and  afterwards  I  shall  examine  what  degree  of  certainty  can 
be  accorded  to  the  two  others. 

Setting  out  from  Dunkirk  on  the  7th  of  May,  1834,  I 
steered  first  for  Vapnafiord,  as  my  instructions  prescribed, 
where  I  arrived  on  the  2Qd.  I  expected  to  receive  at  this 
place,  which  was  the  last  officially-known  stopping-place  of 
the  Lilloise,  more  complete  details  concerning  her ;  but  my 
expectations  were  deceived.  The  rigors  of  an  arctic  winter 
had  cut  oflT  the  inhabitants  from  all  communication  with  the 
northern  part  of  the  island  ;  and  nothing  relating  to  this 
vessel  had  arrived  at  this  station  after  her  departure  from  it. 
I  learnt,  a  little  while  after,  from  a  French  brig  that  was  lying 
there  at  the  same  time,  that  the  Lilloise  new  planked  certain 
parts  of  her  bows,  and  strengthened  them  with  iron.     Of 


392       THE  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

this  there  is  no  question,  as,  according  to  the  report  of  M. 
de  Blosseville,  received  in  France,  it  was  an  injury  to  the 
bowsprit  lashings.  Having  accomplished  my  object  at  Vap- 
nafiord,  and  being  convinced  that  if  the  Lilloise  had  put  in, 
it  must  be  in  some  one  of  the  bays  to  the  north  or  west,  I 
sailed,  on  the  26th,  to  attempt  the  passage  of  Cape  Lauga- 
nas,  notwithstanding  the  warning  I  had  received  from  the 
presence  of  ice  upon  all  this  coast.  But  I  flattered  myself 
that  the  reports  which  were  made  to  me  had  been  exagger- 
ated, and  that  by  great  precaution  I  should  effect  my  pro- 
jects. Unluckily,  on  the  28th,  I  ascertained  to  a  certainty 
that  the  ice  in  fact  extended  from  the  N.  E,  to  the  W.  S.  W. 
of  the  compass,  and  that  all  access  was  become  impossible. 
There  remained  to  me  but  two  alternatives  ;  either  to  wait 
until  the  heavy  gales  had  shattered  the  mass,  or  sail  round 
the  island  immediately,  by  passing  to  the  south.  As  the 
mercury  in  the  barometer  indicated  a  series  of  fine  days,  and 
knowincr  that  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  navi^^ation  of  the 
northern  coast  to  be  shut  up  during  a  whole  year,  I  adopted 
the  latter  course,  as  affording  the  best  chance  of  success, 
and  soon  had  reason  to  congratulate  myself  on  the  reso- 
lution I  had  taken  ;  for,  in  visiting  a  great  number  of  French 
vessels  I  met  on  my  route,  I  received  some  very  valuable 
information  from  the  captains,  which  all  tended  to  prove  to 
me  that  the  Lilloise  had  been  seen  after  her  departure  from 
Vapnafiord,  beating  about  with  winds  from  the  W.  S.  W., 
on  a  N.  W.  tack. 

The  most  important  and  precise  of  these  tidings,  was  that 
of  Captain  Deranjo,  of  the  fishing  corvette  L'Envie.  He 
was  sailing  at  that  period  in  company  with  the  vessels  which 
I  had  just  spoken,  and  found  himself,  on  the  evening  of  the 
14th,  so  near  the  Lilloise,  that,  the  brig  having  displayed  her 
national  colors,  he  hastened  to  hoist  his  own  signals.  All 
these  different  vessels  were  then  about  three  leagues  from 
land,  at  the  entrance  of  Lagunda  Fiord,  running  on  the 
starboard  tack,  with  the  wind  very  fresh  from  the  W.  S.  W. 
The  Lilloise  had  two  reefs  in  her  topsails,  the  lower  sails 
close-hauled,  and  soon  abandoned  the  fishers,  who,  sailing 
on  longer  tacks,  went  before  her:  the  bad  weather,  more 
than  the  darkness,  soon  lost  her  from  their  sight.  I  was, 
therefore,  then  ready  to  draw  some  important  conclusions 


ANCHORS    IN    LUZ    BAY.  393 

from  these  premises,  and  of  which  the  substance  was,  that 
at  this  period  the  Lilloise  was  not  directed  towards  the  land 
she  had  last  discovered ;  since,  with  the  wind  from  the 
W.  S.  W.,  if  she  had  wished  to  continue  the  hydrographic 
survey  which  she  had  commenced,  she  would  have  returned 
to  the  point  from  which  she  set  out,  or  would  have  been  in 
the  route  towards  Cape  Barclay,  which  she  had  neither  well 
recognized  nor  clearly  determined,  and  then  her  course 
would  have  been  at  least  N.  ^  N.  E.,  the  variation  being 
from  40°  to  45°  N.  W.,  and  the  current  running  to  the 
S.  W.  These  indications  appeared  to  me  so  much  the 
more  positive,  that  the  captains,  interrogated  separately,  all 
agreed  upon  the  facts,  and  offered  but  a  very  slight  differ- 
ence in  the  period,  which  varied  from  the  12th  to  the  14th, 
according  as  their  memories  were  more  or  less  faithful.  Be- 
lieving thence  tliat  I  should  be  sure  soon  to  discover  the 
places  where  the  Lilloise  had  touched  land,  I  directed  myself 
in  all  haste  towards  the  west.  When  stopped  by  a  strong 
wind,  I  decided  to  drop  anchor  at  Talkna  Fiord  or  Luz 
Bay.  I  sought  in  the  bay,  but  in  vain,  to  procure  some  in- 
telligence, and  not  being  able  to  succeed  there,  concluded, 
since  the  weather  continued  so  bad,  as  even  to  break  a 
bower-anchor  and  chain-cable,  while  at  anchor,  to  gain  the 
more  northern  bays. 

The  14th  of  June,  I  got  under  way,  with  two  reefs  in  my 
topsails.  I  beat  about  all  that  and  the  following  day  ;  but 
having  met  with  great  injury  to  several  sails,  and* breaking 
another  chain,  and  expecting  no  amelioration  at  hand,  I  de- 
cided to  put  in  at  Dyrefiord.  I  found  five  French  ships  in 
this  bay ;  like  myself,  the  bad  weather  had  driven  them 
there,  and  kept  them  in  grievous  inaction  ;  they  had  made 
some  vain  efforts  to  ascend  higher,  and  the  ice,  which  they 
had  perceived  in  the  distance  the  evening  before,  obliged 
them  to  abandon  the  fishery  for  the  present,  as  well  as  all 
attempt  on  Cape  Nord,  all  access  to  which  was  absolutely 
shut  out.  I  learnt  conclusively  that  all  communication  with 
the  shore  was  cut  off  in  that  direction  ;  and  that  the  navi- 
gation in  those  parts  was,  for  the  time,  impracticable. 
"  We  are  placed  in  circumstances  so  much  the  more  unfor- 
tunate this  year,"  said  the  Danish  merchant  of  Dyrefiord  to 
me,   with  whom  I  had  entered  into  correspondence,  "  that 


394       THE  FIRST  VOYAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

after  a  winter  of  uncommon  rigor,  the  season  is  now  so  far 
advanced,  that  if  it  continues  so,  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
lay  in  our  provisions  for  the  next  winter  ;  for,  independent 
of  the  ill  success  of  our  fisheries,  we  shall  be  obliged  still  to 
give  up  the  hope  of  raising  the  few  raw  products  which  are 
commonly  cultivated."  It  was,  in  fact,  remarkable,  that  on 
the  20th  of  June,  the  thermometer  varied  from  4°  to  0. 

From  this  latter  bay,  I  repaired  to  Scutuls  Fiord ;  there 
I  received  positive  intelligence  as  to  the  position  and  ex- 
tent of  the  ice,  and  with  the  addition  of  the  information 
by  the  merchant,  as  well  as  by  the  fortunate  return  of  the 
vessels  he  had  sent  out,  I  came  to  the  certain  knowledge 
that  the  passage  by  the  north  was  again  impossible.  After 
having  renewed  my  water,  I  decided  to  proceed  again 
towards  the  south,  in  the  hope  of  falling  upon  the  traces  of 
the  Lilloise,  which  had  not  been  seen  in  this  bay,  and  whose 
presence  could  not  be  proved  at  any  point  round  about.  A 
few  vague  tidings  led  me  to  believe  that  the  brig,  the  object 
of  our  search,  had  anchored  in  the  Gulf  of  Brede  Bugt,  at 
a  period  anterior  to  the  14th  of  August.  This  opinion,  all 
uncertain  as  it  was,  deserved  particular  attention,  since  upon 
the  fact  depended,  perhaps,  the  opinion  which  ought  to  be 
formed  concerning  her  future  movements.  I  sailed,  there- 
fore, towards  this  point,  when  imperious  circumstances 
stopped  me  in  crossing  Luz  Bay.  I  found  there  the  greater 
part  of  our  vessels,  who,  in  carrying  on  their  fishery,  were 
occupied"  in  repairing  the  numerous  damages  they  had  met 
with  during  my  stay  at  Scutuls,  in  consequence  of  a  very 
violent  gale  from  the  east.  From  the  indications  received 
at  the  first  which  I  interrogated,  I  visited  the  greater  part 
of  them,  in  order  to  learn  those  who  had  need  of  assistance. 
I  was  happy  in  being  useful  to  some.  After  devoting  some 
time  to  these  important  duties,  I  thought  to  avail  myself  of 
the  favorable  opportunity  which  was  offered  to  meet  the 
Rose  and  the  Gabrielle.  The  incomplete  reports  which 
their  captains  had  made,  left  me  in  hopes  of  obtaining  some 
further  elucidation.  1  little  thought  then  that  it  was  to  be 
the  last  I  should  hear  concerning  the  fate  of  the  brig  Lilloise. 
I  found  these  two  vessels  at  the  distance  of  ten  leagues ; 
the  captain  of  the  Rose  invalidated  what  had  been  pre- 
tended he  had  been  heard  to  say ;  but  the  captain  of  the 


THE  LILLOISE  IS  SEEN  ACROSS  THE  SAND  CONES.        395 

Gabrielle  asserted,  in  the  most  formal  manner,  that  he  had 
seen  and  recognized  the  Lilloise  from  the  20th  to  the  25th 
of  August,  only  a  league  and  a  half  off,  across  the  sand 
cones,  between  65°  30^  and  65°  40'  north  latitude.  The 
veracity  of  this  captain  —  which  I  cannot  call  in  question, 
since  he  endeavored  to  furnish  the  details  of  the  various  ob- 
servations which  he  had  been  able  to  make  — led  me  to  con- 
clude that  my  presumptions  had  not  carried  me  far  from  the 
fact ;  and  from  the  4th  to  the  14th  of  August,  —  or  it  might 
be  from  the  14th  to  the  20th,  or  25th,  —  she  could  be  waiting 
for  no  other,  during  this  advanced  stage  of  the  season,  than 
the  moment  for  effecting  her  return  to  France.  That  mo- 
ment would  be  very  difficult  to  determine  precisely,  for  her 
private  instructions,  which  have  not  been  communicated  to 
me,  perhaps  prescribed  it ;  but  it  must  certainly  be  very  nigh, 
since  the  bad  season  always  breaks  off  the  navigation  of 
the  coast  of  Iceland  in  the  beginning  of  September.  The 
weather,  which  was  very  fine  for  a  few  days,  permitted  me, 
by  visiting  a  very  great  number  of  vessels,  to  make  an  ap- 
proximation towards  the  true  period,  or  to  make  a  recon- 
cilement amongst  the  various  periods,  and  to  assure  me  that 
the  brig  had  not  cast  anchor  in  the  Gulf  of  Brede  Bugt : 
the  fogs  which  succeeded,  and  soon  after  the  bad  weather, 
having  forced  me  to  seek  an  asylum  for  myself,  I  again  took 
shelter  at  Dyrefiord. 

We  had  got  at  that  time  to  the  12th  of  July.  Strong 
winds,  which  succeeded  each  other  with  extraordinary 
rapidity,  forced  our  fishers  to  rally  round  me;  and  made 
them  lose  a  time  so  much  the  more  precious,  that  the 
season  Began  to  advance,  and  ice  continued  to  occupy  alt 
the  north.  Neither  cliance,  nor  my  own  researches,  as  well 
on  the  difficult  points  of  the  coast,  as  amongst  the  residents 
and  merchants,  have  led  me  to  the  discovery  of  the  place 
where  M.  de  Blosseville  had  harbored  ;  the  same  obscurity 
rests  upon  what  he  could  have  done  from  the  4th  to  the 
14th,  and  from  the  14th  to  the  25th  of  August.  The 
places  at  which  the  brig  Lilloise  could  have  anchored,  are 
so  numerous,  that  a  whole  year  would  be  necessary  to  visit 
them  all ;  and,  at  least,  since  she  had  not  been  near  the 
factors,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  indicate  it  with 
precision.     The  correspondence  which  I  established  at  all 


396       THE  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF   THE  LILLOISE. 

the  places  where  I  have  been,  and  those  which  I  have  main- 
tained by  the  intercourse  of  the  merchants  with  those  of 
other  bays,  are  to  me  a  sure  guaranty,  that  it  is  not  near 
them  that  the  Lilloise  had  gone  to  seek  a  refuge.  If  she 
had  received  injuries,  —  which  I  put  beyond  doubt,  if  she 
found  herself  in  the  midst  of  the  ice,  —  or  if  the  continuance 
of  the  prevailing  wdnds  had  forced  her  to  seek  a  harbor,  it 
must  have  been  at  one  of  the  intermediate  ports  where  com- 
merce is  established.  If  consideration  be  made  for  the  diffi- 
culties attending  an  idiom  which  was  unknown  to  us,  and 
entirely  foreign  to  the  Danish  language ;  those  which  natu- 
rally proceeded  from  the  nature  of  the  country ;  and,  in  fine, 
those  which  resulted  from  a  peculiarly  exclusive  season, 
which  it  was  necessary  constantly  to  resist, — the  public  will 
easily  comprehend  the  perseverance  which  we  have  been 
obliged  to  use,  to  arrive  only  at  those  results  we  have  obtained. 
It  has  not  been  in  my  power  to  extend  my  observations  be- 
yond the  25th  of  August.  What  I  can  affirm  is,  that  at 
the  last-mentioned  epoch,  —  and  I  have  had  occasion  to  con- 
vince myself  of  it  by  the  inspection  of  various  journals,  —  the 
gales  were  so  violent,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  vessels 
which  were  not  in  port,  and  could  not  gain  a  shelter,  let 
themselves  drive  before  the  wind,  under  bare  poles,  and, 
abandoning  the  fishery  before  obtaining  a  full  freight,  re- 
turned to  their  several  ports  of  equipment.  Despairing  of 
gathering  new  information,  and  having  exhausted  all  the 
means  at  my  disposal,  I  decided  on  returning  to  the  north. 

On  the  27th,  I  anchored  at  Scutuls,  where  we  learnt  that 
the  ice  had  begun  to  start,  and  that,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
some  Iceland  boats  had  doubled  Cape  Nord,  by  passing  be- 
tween the  detached  pieces.  This  circumstance,  favorable 
as  it  was,  yet  had  in  the  mean  while  lost  its  importance, 
since,  from  what  had  transpired,  it  was  henceforth  useless 
to  extend  my  researches  to  Greenland.  An  exploration 
upon  that  coast  became  evidently  illusory,  and  what  your 
excellency  had,  without  doubt,  foreseen,  in  giving  me  orders 
first  to  collect  intelligence  in  Iceland,  and  in  afterwards 
leaving  at  my  option  the  choice  of  future  operations.  The 
most  cursory  view  of  the  facts  which  I  have  exhibited 
above,  proves  conclusively,  to  this  day,  that  the  Lilloise  did 
not  return  to  Greenland  ;  and  that,  if  she  had  made  that 


CONJECTURES    CONCERNING    M.    DE    BLOSSEVILLE.       397 

passage,  it  must  have  been  a  very  few  days  after  the  4th  of 
August,  since  the  ice  was  at  Cape  Nord  on  the  7th  ;  and  it 
is  well  known  that,  as  soon  as  it  appears  there,  all  access 
from,  it  to  Greenland  is  impossible,  unless  attempted  by 
vessels  constructed  and  equipped  for  arctic  navigation.  It 
is  thus  that  I  explain  her  appearance  on  the  western  coast, 
the  14th  of  the  same  month.  After  this  period,  how  could 
M.  de  Blosseville  have  decided  to  attempt  a  new  voyage, 
when,  on  the  4th  of  August,  he  wrote  to  your  excellency 
'that  the  season  was  too  far  advanced  ;  and  so  much  so,  that 
the  ice  would  hardly  start  before  winter?  If  that  was  his 
opinion  on  the  4th  of  August,  how  would  he  have  returned 
there  after  the  14th  ?  I  do  not  conclude  from  this,  that  he 
could  not  have  gone  there  between  these  two  periods,  but, 
by  recalling  to  mind  what  has  been  previously  advanced, 
that  he  had  been  able  to  proceed  but  on  one  tack  for  some 
leagues,  and  that  he  had  immediately  returned.  Let  me  be 
permitted  to  add  still  some  reflections  on  the  preceding. 
On  the  14th  and  the  following  days,  all  attempts  to  go  to 
Cape  Barclay  would  have  been  useless ;  since,  supposing  him 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  he  could  have  ap- 
proached it  but  within  twenty-four  leagues.  What,  then, 
w^ould  it  have  been  some  days  later,  if  he  wished  to  reach 
this  point,  to  connect  his  new  observations  with  the  old,  or 
whether  he  wished  to  proceed  more  northerly,  and  run  the 
chance  of  driving  along  with  the  ice,  when  it  should  put 
itself  in  motion?  But  M.  de  Blosseville  had  not  enough 
provisions  to  attempt  such  a  voyage  ;  nor  a  vessel  of  suffi- 
cient stoutness  to  wish  to  penetrate  into  those  masses,  whose 
immovability  he  had  experienced  at  so  great  a  distance  from 
the  end  which  he  had  promised  to  attain.  Whence  it  can 
be  concluded,  laying  speculation  aside,  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lilloise  among  the  "  sand  cones,"  from  the  20th  to 
the  25th  of  August,  that  she  could  not  have  remained  in 
the  ice,  at  whatever  distance  she  may  be  supposed  to  be 
from  Greenland.  If  it  be  admitted  that  these  reasons  are 
specious,  and  that,  in  spite  of  all  the  unfavorable  circum- 
stances which  could  induce  M.  de  Blosseville  to  abandon  an 
exploration  which  could  hold  out  to  him  and  his  crew  only 
the  most  fatal  termination,  if  it  be  supposed  that  he  re- 
turned to  Greenland,  I  then  believe  that,  if  he  had  been 
34 


f.'k  I 


398       THE  FIRST  VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

fortunate  enough  to  save  his  vessel,  or  those  of  the  men 
w^ho  would  have  been  able  to  withstand  the  fatigues  and 
long  privations,   it  would  have   been  necessary  to  look  for 
him  to  the  west  of  Cape   Farewell ;  besides,   vessels  from 
various  nations  touch  every  year  upon  these  coasts  ;  and  at 
the  period  of  the  return  of  these  vessels,  they  would  have 
been  able  to  get  to  France.     These  suppositions,  each  more 
favorable  than  the  other,  would  be  in  opposition  to  numerous 
facts  v/hich  have  come  to  my  knowledge.     The  Lilloise,  in 
the  first  place,  would  not  have  been  able  to  support  the  least 
shock  or  pi-essure  of  the  ice.     And  how,  in  fact,  would  she 
have  been  able  to  resist,  when  vessels  constructed  expressly, 
and  having  beams  of   fourteen  inches   square,  have  been 
often    struck   and   abandoned  ?      In   admitting,   even,   that 
a  basin  formed  around  her  would   have  p/eserved  her  from 
all  manner  of  shocks,  experience  proves  that,  at  the  first 
breaking  up  of  the  ice,  she  would  have  drifted  to  the  most 
southern  part  of  Greenland  ;  but,  in  this  supposition,  pro- 
visions  were   necessary   to   pass  the   winter,   and  she  was 
provided  only  till  the   12th  of  October.     They  would  then 
have    been    obliged   to   abandon   the    vessel,    and    seek  to 
gain  the  land  ;  here  would  commence  difliculties  which  the 
mind   could   hardly   span.      They   must  struggle   with  the 
cold,   and  chmb   mountains  of  ice,  of  an   immense  height, 
covered  with  projections  on  all  sides.     If  it  can  be  believed 
that  all  these  obstacles  were  conquered  ;  that  a  high  and 
steep  coast  had  not  stopped  them  ;  that  they  had  been  able 
to  carry  provisions  enough  to  gain  those  countries  inhabited 
by  v/andering  families  ;  that  they  had  supplied  their  necessi- 
ties by  means  of  the  chase;  —  then  they  would  have  perhaps 
been  able  to  reach  the  western  colonies,  where  they  would 
have  found  help  and  succor  of  all  sorts.     But,  consoling  as 
these  suppositions  may  be,  we  can  no  longer  abandon  our- 
selves to  them,  without  material  proofs  of  the  loss  or  exist- 
ence of  the  Lilloise  ;  its  future,  1  agree,  is  covered  with  a 
veil  which  the  human  mind  may  seek  vainly  to  raise ;  but  in 
my  eyes,  nevertheless,  the  loss  of  this  vessel  is  incontestable  ; 
and  if  my  researches  have  not  enabled  me  to  learn  in  a  pre- 
cise manner  the  period  and  the  circumstances,  they  have  at 
least  led  me  to  think  that  it  could   not  have  been  on  the 
coast  of  Greenland  that  she  disappeared.     If  such  had  not 


THE  BORDELAISE  REACHES  HOME. 


399 


been  my  opinion,  based  upon  the  most  notorious  facts,  I 
should  have  regretted  not  being  able  to  approach  these 
coasts  this  year ;  since,  till  the  month  of  August,  every  time 
that  I  have  attempted  the  passage  by  the  north,  the  ice  has 
opposed  to  me  an  obstacle  which  it  was  not  possible  for  me 
to  surmount.  As  I  have  already  had  the  honor  of  saying  to 
your  excellency,  the  ice  was  effectually  put  in  motion  to- 
wards the  2Gth  of  July ;  but  its  removal  was  but  mo- 
mentary ;  and  its  sudden  appearance  happened  again  to 
expose  three  of  our  vessels,  which  alone  had  attempted  the 
passage.  Two  of  them  still  remain  engaged  there,  without 
it  being  possible  for  me  to  get  them  out  again ;  and  the 
third,  the  Bien  Aimee,  Captain  Lamestre,  is  the  only  one 
that  has  succeeded  in  returning  by  the  west.  From  the 
report  of  the  captain,  he  had  found  at  Hope  Bugt  a  piece 
of  chain  cable,  a  copper  kettle,  and  a  piece  of  wood  circled 
with  iron  ;  the  whole  having  come  to  the  shore  during  the 
year  1833.  These  different  articles  appeared  to  have  be- 
longed to  a  whalino^  vessel.  As  the  wind  remained  still 
contrary,  I  took  advantage  of  the  first  improvement  to  quit 
Scutuls ;  and  the  5th  of  August,  made  sail  for  the  north. 
The  strong  east  winds  and  heavy  sea  soon  forced  me  to 
give  it  up ;  and  I  steered  towards  the  cape.  I  drifted  to 
the  south,  and  put  in  at  Onundafiord,  where  some  vexa- 
tions had  been  exercised  towards  our  fishermen,  by  the 
islanders  of  the  southern  part  of  the  bay.  I  made  my  stay 
useful  in  the  interests  of  our  vessels ;  but  the  bad  season 
coming  on  more  and  more,  the  rain  and  the  snow  being  almost 
constant,  I  proceeded  towards  the  south,  where  our  fishers 
were  collected  to  take  in  their  water,  and  prepare  for  their 
return.  Having  attempted  ineffectually  to  obtain  the  an- 
chorage of  Patrix  Fiord,  the  only  bay  which  I  had  not 
visited  in  this  part,  I  left  the  west  of  Iceland,  two  days  after 
the  departure  of  our  vessels,  and  after  a  passage  of  twenty 
days  I  arrived  at  Dunkirk.  The  state  of  health  of  the  crew 
is  very  satisfactory.  May  I  be  permitted  here  to  make 
a  general  recapitulation  of  the  voyage  which  I  have  just 
ended? 

If  I  have  not  been  so  fortunate  as  to  recover  the  brig 
Lilloise,  I  believe  I  have  done,  at  least,  all  that  it  was  pos- 
sible for  me  to  do,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  I  was 
placed. 


400     THE   SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

For  the  information  of  the  government,  I  have  sought  not 
only  to  avail  myself  of  the  facts,  but  also  the  most  likely 
suppositions.  After  having  sought  traces  of  her  upon  the 
coasts  of  Iceland,  I  have  been  able  to  prove  her  presence 
till  the  time  when  it  is  believed  she  would  effect  her  return 
to  France.  I  would  have  followed  her  step  by  step,  so  to 
speak,  upon  all  the  points  at  which  she  might  have  touched, 
if  sorrowful  convictions,  and  events  independent  of  my  will, 
had  not  occurred  to  alter  my  intentions.  Nothing  would 
have  prevented  me  from  relieving  my  countrymen,  and  ac- 
complishing, to  its  whole  extent,  the  trust  which  was  con- 
fided to  me ;  but  this  result  was  not  reserved  for  me. 


As  a  report  reached  France,  after  the  return  of  Captain 
Dutaillis,  that  the  Lilloise  was  confined  in  the  ice  off  the 
coast  of  Greenland,  and  was  abandoned  by  M.  de  Blosse- 
ville  and  his  companions,  who  had  reached  one  of  the  Da- 
nish colonies  on  that  inhospitable  shore,  the  French  gov- 
ernment determined  to  continue  the  search ;  and  the  na- 
tional corvette  the  Recherche  was  equipped  in  the  most 
thorough  manner,  and  the  command  given  to  M.  Tre- 
houart,  an  officer  of  great  scientific  attainments,  who  was 
directed  to  proceed  to  the  frozen  seas  of  the  arctic  regions  ; 
and,  if  possible,  to  find  and  rescue  his  missing  countrymen, 
and  restore  them  to  the  vine-clad  hills  of  their  native  land. 
We  will  give  his  story,  as  reported  to  admiral  de  Rigny. 


A  Narrative  of  the  Proceedings  of  Captain  Trehouart, 
of  the  Corvette  Recherche,  during  the  Second  Yoy. 
age  to  discover  Traces  of  M.  de  Blosseville  and  his 
Companions,  in  the  Summer  of  1835. 

Admiral  :  —  I  have  the  honor  of  rendering  an  account 
to  your  excellency  of  the  fruitless  researches  which  I  have 
made  upon  the  western  coasts  of  Iceland,  and  upon  the 
edges  of    the  iceberojs  which  line  the  eastern   coasts  of 


CAPT.  TREHOUARt's   CORDIAL   RECEPTION  IN  ICELAND.    401 

Greenland,  to  find  there  the  brig  Lilloise,  commanded  by 
the  scientific  and  gallant  M.  de  Blosseville. 

Setting  out  from  Cherburg  the  17th  of  April,  at  7  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  I  encountered,  from  the  first  night,  a  gale 
of  wind  from  the  east,  on  which  I  decided  to  pass  to  the 
west  of  the  British  isles.  The  7th  of  May,  I  discovered  the 
southern  coast  of  Iceland;  and  the  11th  I  dropped  anchor 
at  Reikavik,  This  passage,  made  during  a  series  of  rough 
weather,  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of  proving  the  good- 
ness of  the  crew  and  the  vessel  which  your  excellency  had 
been  pleased  to  trust  to  me. 

The  governor  of  Iceland,  M.  de  Rueger,  had  been  absent 
for  some  months  ;  but  I  was  received  in  the  most  cordial 
manner  by  his  representative,  M.  Finsen,  chief  justice  of  the 
colony.  He  took  great  pains  to  give  me  the  information 
which  I  asked  of  him,  concerning  the  Lilloise.  I  have  had 
the  honor  of  presenting  to  you,  in  a  former  report,  the  letter 
which  he  wrote  to  me  on  this  subject ;  you  will  there  per- 
ceive how  little  hopes  there  remained  to  me  of  learning  any 
thing  more  precise  in  the  Gulf  of  Brede  Bugt.  The  bishop 
had  also  the  goodness  to  give  me  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  the  missionary  living  at  Dyre  Fiord,  who,  last  year,  fur- 
nished some  information  to  Captain  Dutaillis. 

I  quitted  R^eikavik  the  18th,  and  after  having  passed 
some  days  among  the  fishing  vessels  that  I  found  in  great 
numbers  under  Cape  Staalberg,  I  went  to  see  Direme,  to 
obtain  the  information  which  he  had  received.  I  have  had 
the  honor  of  laying  before  you  two  notes,  the  one  in  Danish, 
the  other  in  Latin,  which  he  sent  me.  Your  excellency  will 
have  remarked  of  them  that  it  is  not  now,  as  last  year,  a 
Dutch  captain  who  had  seen  the  Lilloise  perish,  but,  rather, 
that  a  captain  of  that  nation  had  heard  a  sailor  of  Dunkirk 
say,  that  this  vessel  had  undoubtedly  perished  in  the  Gulf 
of  Brede  Bugt,  or  among  the  ice.  I  did  not  stay  any  longer 
for  so  vague  a  document,  but  directed  my  course  to  Onun- 
dafiord,  where  I  obtained  from  M.  Sevenden,  a  Danish  mer- 
chant, a  note,  which  seemed  to  give  me  some  hopes  of  dis- 
covering the  clew  that  I  was  seeking.  It  was  conceived  in 
the  following  terms,  and  I  have  the  honor  of  laying  before 
your  eyes  a  literal  translation. 

"  The  only  report  here,  brought  to  this  place  from  Luz 
34* 


402      THE   SECOND  VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF   THE   LILLOISE. 

Bay,  which  was  received  there  by  a  Dutch  fishing  vessel, 
is,  that  the  aforesaid  vessel,  whilst  carrying  on  its  fisheries 
at  Cape  Nord,  in  the  former  part  of  Septennber,  1833,  saw 
the  French  vessel,  concerning  which  information  is  asked, 
founder  some  miles  in  the  offing,  without  being  able,  on 
account  of  the  force  of  the  gale,  to  reach  its  unfortunate 
crew." 

M.  Sevenden  not  being  able  to  call  to  mind  the  name  of 
the  person  from  whom  he  had  these  tidings,  nor  the  period 
at  which  he  had  obtained  them,  I  sailed  for  Luz  Bay,  hoping 
to  obtain  there  something  more  positive ;  but  my  hope  was 
deceived.     The  gizelleman  of  this  bay  declared  to  me,  in 
the  most  direct  and  formal  manner,  that  no  such  informa- 
tion of  the  kind  had  ever  come  there ;  that  he,  as  chief  of 
the  bay,  visited   all  the  vessels  which  entered   there ;  that, 
carrying  on  commerce  with  the  Dutch,  he  was  acquainted 
with  the  captains  of  the  few  vessels  of  that  nation  who  visit 
that  coast,  and  that  he  had  never  heard  them  speak  of  this 
shipwreck.     He  even  wrote  to  M.  Sevenden  to  defy  him  to 
name  the  person  of  Luz  Bay  from  whom  he  obtained  this 
intelligence.     I  caused  this  letter  to  be  carried ;  but  the  lat- 
ter could  add  nothing  to  what  he  had  told  me  before.     By 
chance,  I  fell  in  at  the  same  time  with  seven  of  the  Dutch 
vessels,   who  commonly  carry  on   the  fishery  at  Iceland.     I 
visited  them,  and  obtained  nothing  from  them  which  could 
induce  me  to  believe  that  this  information  had  any  founda- 
tion.    They  are  all  from  a  little  port  on  the  Meuse,  called 
Vladengen  ;  and  assured  me  that  if  one  of  their  comrades 
had  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  fact  mentioned,  he  would 
have  eagerly  imparted   it  to  them,  as  well  as  informed  his 
government  of  it.     All  these  different  passages,  made  during 
dreadful  weather,  following  an  extremely  severe  winter,  in 
which  it  was  often  necessary  to  beat  about  for  whole  days, 
to  obtain  favorable  anchorage,  had  brought  me  to  the  16th 
of  June.     It  was  the  favorable  period  for  visiting  the  Gulf 
of  Brede  Bugt ;  and  also  that  which  I  had  assigned  to  M. 
Gaimard,  to  join   us  at  Grounufiord.      In  consequence,   I 
quitted  Onundafiord  the   16th,  and   presented   myself  the 
20th  before  Olasvug,  where  I  counted  on  obtaining  some 
information  ;  but  at  the  moment  that,  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  place,  I  was  waiting  for  a  pilot,  in  order  to  enter, 


M.    GAIMARD    IS    SENT    TO    EXPLORE    THE    GULF.         403 

M.  Clausen,  a  merchant  of  the  place,  had  the  goodness  to 
come  on  board,  and,  in  announcing  to  me  that  he  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  fate  of  the  Lilloise,  persuaded  me  not  to  anchor 
in  the  road,  which  was  not  good.  I  arrived  the  same  even- 
ing at  Grounefiord,  and  obtained  nothing  at  this  place  more 
satisfactory  that  at  Olasvug,  where  I  afterwards  went  by 
land.  The  accounts  which  I  could  gather,  all  agreed  with 
those  which  I  had  obtained  from  the  gove/nor.  They  were 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  prove,  as  well  as  the  latter,  in  a 
positive  manner,  the  impossibility  of  the  loss  of  the  Lilloise 
in  the  gulf,  without  it  should  have  been  known  ;  the  small- 
est rocks  being  frequented  in  summer  by  the  fishers,  and 
also  by  the  boats  that  collect  sea-birds'  eggs.  The  mer- 
chants did  not  doubt  that  some  remains  of  her  would  have 
been  found,  if  this  misfortune  had  happened  there.  I  de- 
sired M.  Gaimard,  who  had  joined  me,  and  who  was,  in 
continuing  his  voyage,  to  explore  a  great  part  of  the  shores 
of  this  gulf,  to  gather  information  on  this  point,  and  I  quitted 
Grounefiord  on  the  25th,  well  convinced  of  the  uselessness 
of  any  longer  researches  in  these  parts ;  for,  if  the  least 
doubt  remained  on  my  mind,  I  could  have  easily  dispelled 
it,  by  freighting,  at  a  little  expense,  a  deck  boat  of  the 
country,  which  I  could  have  equipped  with  an  officer  and 
some  sailors  from  the  Recherche,  and  with  which  I  could 
have  caused  the  shoals  of  the  gulf  to  be  visited ;  but  the 
intelligence  which  I  received  was  so  precise,  that  I  could 
not  stop  for  this  measure,  which  could  not  lead  to  any  use- 
ful result. 

I  steered  my  course  towards  Steneuts  Fiord,  a  more 
northern  point,  inhabited  by  a  merchant.  I  cast  anchor  the 
STth  ;  and  having  found  nothing  which  could  interest  me,  I 
left  there,  on  the  28th,  for  Ofa  Bugt.  I  reached  this  bay  on 
the  night  of  the  30th.  I  again  found  it  closed  up  with 
pieces  of  ice,  which,  some  days  before,  had  rendered  the 
approach  to  it  impracticable.  This  bay,  formed  at  the  north 
by  Cape  Nord  itself,  is  precisely  that  from  which,  according 
to  the  report  of  the  merchant  of  Onundafiord,  the  Lilloise 
should  have  been  seen  to  sink.  The  few  inhabitants  I 
found  there,  and  who  dwell  there  only  during  the  summer, 
all  affirmed  to  me,  under  oath,  having  had- no  knowledge  of 
the  Lilloise,  or  of  her  wreck.     I  assured  myself  of  this  in  a 


404      THE   SECOND  VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF   THE   LILLOISE. 

slill  more  positive  manner,  by  examining  with  the  greatest 
care  a  great  quantity  of  pieces  of  wood,  which  the  sea  con- 
stantly throws  up  on  the  shores  of  this  bay.  Amongst  a 
great  number  of  decayed  fragments,  and  all  more  or  less 
disfigured  by  the  prolonged  action  of  the  ice  upon  them,  it 
was  impossible  for  me  to  discover  any  thing  which  could 
have  served  for  the  construction  of  a  ship.  I  do  not  doubt, 
however,  that  if  the  Lilloise  had  perished  at  some  miles'  dis- 
tance, many  pieces  might  have  come  ashore;  and  in  that  case 
I  should  liave  found  them  there ;  for  the  people  do  not  use 
them  for  fuel.  This  last  essay  demonstrated  the  impossi- 
bihty  of  proving  the  destruction  of  the  Lilloise  upon  this 
coast.  I  had  availed  myself  of  all  the  means  which  might 
help  me  to  form  such  a  conclusion,  and  it  was  now  well 
proved  to  me  that  if  this  misfortune  had  happened  to  her, 
no  one  had  know^n  it ;  and  therefore  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  establish  the  certainty  of  it.  In  consequence,  I 
thought  of  putting  into  execution  the  other  part  of  your 
excellency's  instructions,  which  prescribed  to  me  the  explor- 
ing of  the  icebergs  which  line  the  eastern  coast  of  Green- 
land. Before  undertaking  it,  I  formed  to  myself  a  plan  of 
proceedings,  based  upon  the  following  probabilities :  — 

The  29th  of  July,  1833,  M.  de  Blosseville,  after  having 
reached  the  68th^  30'  latitude,  and  28th°  longitude,  ran  in 
at  an  opening  in  the  ice,  and  discovered  the  coast  of  Green- 
land, and  was  afterwards  forced,  by  bad  weather,  to  return 
to  Vapnafiord,  to  repair  the  damage  done  to  her  bowsprit. 
The  4th  of  August,  she  quitted  this  bay ;  and,  in  writing  to 
your  excellency,  he  announced  his  intention  of  returning  to 
the  point  he  had  left  on  the  29th,  in  order  to  continue  his 
discoveries  towards  the  south.  Captain  Dutaillis  and  myself 
have  obtained  the  proof  of  the  arrival  of  the  ice  upon  all 
the  coast  north  of  Iceland,  on  the  5th  or  9th  of  August; 
and  also  the  undoubted  presence  of  the  Lilloise  the  13th 
and  14th  of  August,  the  same  year,  at  anchor  off,  and  a 
little  distance  from,  Onundafiord ;  the  latter  of  these  facts 
proving  to  my  mind,  to  a  demonstration,  that  M.  de  Blosse- 
ville, surprised  by  the  unexpected  arrival  of  the  ice,  had 
seen  the  impossibility  of  accomplishing  his  project,  and  even 
considered  himself  fortunate  to  double  Cape  Nord  before 
the  passage  should  be  entirely  impracticable.     I  had  come 


THE    DANGEROUS    SITUATION    OF    THE    SHIP.  405 

to  the  conclusion  that  if,  at  a  period  so  advanced  as  the 
14th  of  August,   he   had   not  given   up  making  discoveries, 
he   had   been   obliged   to  confine   his  attempts  between  the 
most  northern  point  whicli  he  could  attain;  that  is,  to  nearly 
the   parallel   of  Cape   Norxl,  and   the   most  northern  lands, 
recently  discovered   by  the  lieutenant  of  the  Danish  navy, 
Graah.      This   supposition   decided   me   to  extend    my.  re- 
searches between  these  two  parallels  ;  and  I  set  out  for  that 
purpose,  from  the  Bay  of  Ofa  Bugt,   the  1st  of  July,  at  2 
o'clock,  A.  M.     I  directed  my  course  to  the  N.  N.  E.,  and 
having  made  six  leagues  in  that  direction,  I  at  first  met  with 
some  detached  cakes  of  ice,  which  I  passed ;  and  soon  after 
the  solid  mass.     It  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
to  the  E.   S.   E.,  and  seemed  to  join  the  land  some  miles 
from  Cape  Nord ;  tlie   weather  was   foggy  at  intervals,  the 
breeze  faint,  and   varying  from  N.   W.   to  N.     I  took  the 
western  tack,  and  kept  along  the  mass,  at  a  little  distance 
off;  stopping  always  when   the  fog  did  not  permit  me  to 
see  into  the  interior  of  the  mass  distinctly.     At  7  o'clock 
in   the  evening,  I  found  myself  at  the  bottom  of  a  bay, 
where  I  thought  I  perceived  an  open  space.     The  fog  not 
permitting  me  to  distinguish  clearly,  I  sailed  towards  it,  to 
make  sure.     I   met  at  first  a  great   number  of  detached 
pieces,  which  were  open  enough  to  leave  a  free  passage- to 
the  corvette;  but  they  soon  became  so  thick,  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  avoid   them  all,  and  to  prevent  the  Re- 
cherche  from   striking   very   rudely   against   one   of   them. 
In  this  position,  the  ship  became  lifted  up  more  than  three 
feet  forward  ;  but  the  ice  giving  way  under  her  weight,  it 
remained  there  only  a  few  minutes.     From  this  moment,  1 
was  no  more   master  of  the  movements  of  the  ship  ;  the 
fragments  of  ice  being  so  close  together,  that,  for  the  space 
of  half  an   hour,  it  was  only  passing  from  one  to  another, 
expending  upon  each  one  the  little  air  which  it  had  been 
able  to  take  before  reaching  it.     I  was  about  to  make  fast 
to  a  cake  of  ice,  and  use  the  ice  anchors,  to  get  out  of  this 
difficulty,  when,  a  passage  opening,  I  profited  by  it  to  get 
clear.     In  the  evening,  the  wind  changing  to  the  east  very 
fresh,  and  the  fog  growing  thick,  I  was  forced  to  take  more 
sea  room. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d;  the  weather  having  become 


406     THE  SECOND  VOYAGE   IN  SEARCH   OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

clear,  I  repaired  again  to  the  mass,  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  place  where  I   had  quitted  it  the  night  before.     I  con- 
tinued to  stretch  along  its  edge,  always  keeping  less  than 
two   miles   off,  and  often  passing  detached  pieces.     With 
the  exception  of  a  few  hours  of  fog,  of  contrary  winds,  or 
of  calms,  from  this  moment  till  the  8th,  I  was  constantly 
favored  with  fine  weather  and  easterly  winds,  varying  to  the 
north,  which  enabled   me  to  keep  along  very   near  to  the 
mass.     I  found  it  every  where  compact  and  solid  ;  some- 
times clogged   with  cakes  of  ice,   to  the  distance  of  more 
than  three  miles,  and  as  often  clear ;  so  that  it  could  be  fol- 
lowed within  a  few  cables'  length.     It  formed  a  great  num- 
ber of  bays,  of  greater  or  less  extent,  whose  mouths  were 
almost  always  clogged  with  enormous  cakes  of  ice.     During 
this  exploration,  which  a  combination  of  favorable  circum- 
stances enabled  me  to  make  with  great  particularity,  I  saw 
nothing  which  seemed  to  give  any  evidence  of  the  ship- 
wreck of  the  Lilloise  in  these  parts.     Notwithstanding,  from 
the  top  of  the  masts,   it  was  almost  possible  to  distinguish 
objects  at  six  leagues  in  the  interior  of  the  mass,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  approach  the  coast  of  Greenland  within 
sixteen  leagues,  and  although  the  weather  was  often  favor- 
able, I  have  never  seen  it.     I  regret,  also,  not  having  been 
witness  of    those  curious  phenomena  of   refraction,   men- 
tioned by  several  navigators  ;  as  also  of  those  movements  of 
ice,  producing  similar  strange  effects.     I  found  them  with- 
out apparent  movement,  of  a  medium  height  of  from  five 
to  six  metres,  excepting  some  mountains  in  the  interior  of 
the  mass,  and  which  I  estimated  to  have  been  fifty  or  sixty 
metres  high. 

On  the  night  of  the  8th,  the  weather  ceased  to  be  fine ; 
and  the  wind  from  the  E.  S.  E.  brought  up  a  very  thick 
fog.  I  was  obliged  to  keep  a  good  distance  off  from  the 
mass.  During  the  passage  of  the  9th,  I  had  another  view 
of  the  mass,  in  a  clear  spell,  but  not  sufficiently  distinct  to 
ascertain  its  direction.  In  the  evening,  the  wind  became 
very  fresh  ;  and  the  sea  becoming  very  rough,  and  the  fog 
very  thick,  I  moved  still  farther  off,  to  avoid  the  danger  of 
being  driven  before  the  wind  amongst  the  ice.  In  this  pos- 
ture of  affairs,  I  had  attained  the  object  proposed,  since  I 
had  -exceeded,  by  twenty  leagues,  the  latitude  of  the  lands 


THEY  REACH  THE  ICE  ON  THE  COAST  OF  GREENLAND.  407 

discovered  by  Graah  ;  and,  favored  by  circumstances,  I  had 
explored  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  leagues  of  ice, 
which  join  the  Cape  Nord  of  Iceland  to  the  point  where  I 
had  arrived,  with  an  exactness  which  left  no  room  for  further 
observation,  and  made  it  necessary  to  decide  between  two 
plans —  that  of  returning  immediately  to  Iceland,  and  aban- 
doning all  hopes  of  finding  the  Lilloise,  and  that  of  attempt- 
ing to  attain  to  the  Danish  establishments  situated  on  the 
south-west  coast  of  Greenland ;  where,  according  to  the  note 
of  the  Central  Geographical  Society,  it  would  be  almost  im- 
possible to  obtain  any  information.  1  decided  on  the  last 
step,  for  I  had  at  heart  to  try  all  chances,  feeble  as  they 
might  be,  which  might  conduct  me  to  the  result  I  had  been 
trying  after  for  three  months.  And  although  this  last  step 
was  not  prescribed  in  my  instructions,  I  hoped  that  your  ex- 
cellency would  approve  it  on  account  of  my  motive  in  un- 
dertaking it.  In  taking  this  determination,  I  did  not  lose 
sight  of  the  difficulties  which  would  come  in  my  way.  I 
possessed  no  document  on  the  navigation  of  these  parts,  so 
often  clogged  with  ice,  and  obscured  by  fogs.  I  had  learnt 
only  from  an  Iceland  merchant  that  Frederickshaail  was  the 
most  difficult  point  of  access,  and  that,  as  with  some  others, 
whole  years  sometimes  passed  without  being  able  to  ap- 
proach it.  The  chart  I  possessed  was  on  so  small  a  scale  as 
only  to  give  the  positions,  without  furnishing  the  minor 
details.  It  was  therefore  almost  a  voyage  of  discovery,  that 
I  was  about  to  undertake.  I  saw  not  to  the  end,  but  was 
determined,  though  acting  with  prudence,  to  stop  short  of 
nothing  but  absolute  impossibility. 

From  the  9th  to  the  13th,  the  weather  continued  to  be 
foggy,  and  the  wind  had  passed  to  the  N.  N.  E.,  where  it 
had  moderated.  But  the  fog,  which  dissipated  only  at  short 
intervals,  permitted  me  to  steer  to  the  west  only  with  the 
greatest  caution.  The  15th  I  came  in  sight  of  the  ice,  but 
the  fog  did  not  enable  me  to  discover  whether  it  was  the 
mass  itself,  or  only  some  pieces  ;  and  I  was  obliged  to  pass 
them.  The  afternoon  of  the  14th  was  rather  clear,  and  at 
an  early  hour,  came  in  sight  of  the  mass.  It  seemed  to  rua 
from  the  south  to  north  ;  I  took  the  latter  route  to  skirt  along 
at  three  miles'  distance,  to  ascertain  if  there  was  not  a  more 
northern  passage,  which  would  conduct  me  to  Cape  Farewell. 


408     THE   SECOND  VOYAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

At  5  o'clock,  the  fog  became  tlncker  tlian  ever.  At  half 
past  6,  I  stood  off  to  sea ;  as  I  had  suddenly  had  sight  of 
the  mass  ahead,  and  under  the  wind,  I  hove  to  immediately, 
and  found  myself  at  the  mouth  of  a  gulf  formed  by  the  ice, 
of  which  the  wind,  from  the  south-east  at  that  time,  gave 
me  no  chance  of  doubling,  by  any  tack,  its  most  advanced 
points.  I  was  obliged,  in  order  to  get  out  of  it,  to  beat 
about  on  small  tacks,  fearing  at  every  minute  to  meet  float- 
ing pieces  of  ice,  which  a  very  great  darkness,  occasioned 
by  the  addition  of  a  very  thick  fog  to  the  nightfall,  would 
not  have  permitted  me  easily  to  avoid.  At  11  o'clock,  I 
was  out  of  danger,  and  stood  towards  the  south,  to  seek  a 
passage  there.  The  15th  was  entirely  lost.  The  16th,  from 
the  morning,  the  weather  became  rather  fine.  At  7  o'clock, 
I  found  the  extremity  of  it.  It  v/as  situated  58°  30^  lati- 
tude, and  45°  20'  longitude.  In  the  afternoon,  the  wind 
having  changed  to  the  north-west,  I  was  obliged  to  beat 
about,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  mass,  at  its  ex 
tremity,  was  only  ten  miles  wide.  The  day,  during  the  17th, 
was  very  fine  till  evening ;  I  continued  to  beat  about  to  ob- 
tain the  meridian  of  Frederickshaall,  and  met  some  large 
cakes  of  ice,  floating  at  a  great  distance  at  sea.  At  5 
o'clock,  the  fog  came  on  anew  ;  I  estimated  my  distance  at 
more  than  twenty  leagues,  and  of  course  still  far  from  the 
mass,  which  I  had  not  supposed  at  such  a  distance  ;  but  at 
6  o'clock,  I  recognized  very  large  pieces  of  ice,  upon  which 
the  ship  had  like  to  have  struck.  To  tack  about  was,  hap- 
pily, but  the  affair  of  a  moment.  At  that  time,  the  light,  oc- 
casioned by  the  refraction  of  the  ice,  when  it  is  approached 
very  near,  discovered  the  position  of  the  mass,  without  en- 
abhng  me  to  judge  well  of  its  direction.  This  unexpected 
encounter,  at  more  than  twenty  leagues  from  land,  and  so 
near  the  place  I  wished  to  reach,  gave  me  fears  of  not  being 
able  to  get  there.  I  continued,  nevertheless,  to  beat  about, 
and  on  the  18th,  I  had  arrived  at  nineteen  leagues  to  the 
west  of  the  point  where  I  had  seen  the  ice  the  evening  be- 
fore ;  having  passed  by  the  longitude  of  Frederickshaall  by 
several  miles,  and  made  all  sail,  with  a  strong  breeze  and 
fine  weather,  to  attempt  .to  arrive  there  before  night,  when, 
at  1  o'clock,  the  watch  announced  the  ice  ;  and  soon  after- 
wards I  found  myself  at  the  foot  of  a  mass,  composed  of 


UNSUCCESSFUL  ATTEIVIPT  TO  REACH  FREDERICKSIIAALL.    409 

enormous  pieces,  whose  extent  in  width  and  direction  from 
east  to  west,  was  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The  extent 
of  the  mass  would  even  prevent  me  from  reaching  Cape 
Desolation,  beyond  which  I  was  entirely  ignorant,  if  these 
were  my  establishments,  and  beyond  which  my  map  did  not 
extend.  I  was  to  conclude,  therefore,  that  I  had  arrived  on 
one  of  those  occasions,  so  frequent,  in  which  the  ports  of 
these  coasts  are  inapproachable ;  and  I  decided,  with  great 
regret,  to  abandon  an  attempt  to  which  I  could  not  attach 
much  importance,  considered  relatively  to  the  object  of  my 
mission,  but  which  ten  days  of  very  difficult  and  often  dan- 
gerous navigation,  had  made  me  wish  success  to.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  18th,  I  decided  to  return  to  Iceland,  and 
favored  by  western  winds,  I  reached  Cape  Nord  the  evening 
of  the  24th.  I  there  found  our  fishing  vessels  in  great  num- 
bers, none  of  which  had  been  able  to  double  Cape  Dan- 
gerous; and  at  that  time  the  ice,  which  I  had  just  met, 
joined  the  land  some  miles  to  the  S.  E.  of  Cape  Nord ;  so 
that  again  this  year,  as  the  last,  the  communication  between 
the  east  and  west,  by  the  north  of  the  island,  would  have 
been  impracticable ;  and  this  was  before  the  end  of  the  good 
season.  From  the  25th  to  the  30th,  strong  westerly  winds 
having  obliged  our  vessels  to  stand  across  the  bay  from  the  N. 
W.,  I  profited  by  it  to  proceed  to  Dyrefiord,  to  repair  some 
damages,  and  to  procure  a  few  days'  repose,  as  well  as  fresh 
provisions  for  my  crew ;  a  long  use  of  salt  meats,  joined  to 
the  dampness  of  the  atmosphere,  having  brought  on  symp- 
toms of  scurvy. 

I  put  out  to  sea  the  15th  of  August,  and  remained  till 
the  21st  amongst  the  fishers.  At  this  period,  their  number 
having  considerably  diminished,  1  repaired  to  Reikavik, 
where  I  found  M.  Gaimard,  who  had  just  arrived  there. 
This  indefatigable  naturalist,  after  having  succored,  at  Rei- 
kavik, the  captain  of  the  shipwrecked  vessel,  the  Harmonic, 
visited  all  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  and  by  researches 
in  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf  of  Brede  Bugt,  and  on  the 
northern  shore,  had  become  firm  in  the  conviction  that  the 
Lilloise  had  not  been  wrecked  in  these  parts.  He  learnt 
that,  in  May,  1828,  an  Enghsh  whale  ship.  Captain  Hutch- 
inson, was  lost  to  the  east  of  Cape  Nord.  M.  Gaimard,  as 
well  as  myself,  are  very  sure  that  M.  Sevenden,  of  Onun- 
35 


^^m^^m^^^mm^^' 


410       THE  THIRD  VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF  THE  LTLLOISE. 

dafiord,  must  have  confounded  this  shipwreck  with  that  of 
the  Lilloise. 


As  Captain  Trehouart  did  not  succeed  in  reaching  the 
coast  of  Greenland,  and  in  communicating  with  the  Danish 
colonies,  during  this  voyage,  so  as  to  ascertain  whether  M. 
de  Blosseville  and  his  companions  were  detained  in  that  in- 
hospitable country  by  the  icy  barriers  which  surrounded  it, — 
to  ascertain  this,  and  to  trace  to  its  origin  the  report  which 
was  current,  that  a  French  brig-of-war  had  been  seen  to  go 
down  off  the  coast  of  Iceland  ;  and  also  for  the  purpose  of 
examining  the  coast  near  where  this  vessel  was  said  to  have 
foundered,  for  pieces  of  wreck, — the  French  government 
determined  to  give  one  more  search,  and  commissioned  Cap- 
tain Trehouart,  who  again  embarked  in  the  Recherche,  for 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  in  the  spring  of  1836. 

In  order  to  encourage  a  search  generally,  they  promul- 
gated the  following  ordinance  :  — 

First,  "  That  a  reward  of  one  hundred  thousand  francs 
shall  be  bestowed  on  the  French  or  foreign  navigators  who 
may  restore  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  officers  and  crew  of 
the  Lilloise. 

Second.  ^'  That  a  reward  proportioned  to  the  service 
rendered  shall  be  given  to  those  who  may  announce  the 
first  correct  intelligence  of  them,  or  who  may  restore  to 
France  any  papers  or  effects,  whatever,  which  have  belonged 
to  this  expedition." 


A  Narrative  of  the  Tliird  and  Last  Voyage,  in  Search 
of  tlie  Lilloise,  during  the  Summer  of  1836,  as 
reported  to  Admiral  de  Rigny,  by  Captain  Tre- 
houart. 

Admiral  :  —  I  have  the  honor  of  informing  your  excel- 
lency, that  after  leaving  Cherbourg  I  proceeded  north  with 
all  despatch,  and  reached  the  coast  of  Iceland,  where  I 
anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Reikavik ;  and  soon  after  we  com- 
menced scientific  operations. 


THE    REPORT    OF    PIERRE    DE    GOEDE. 


411 


On  the  2d  of  June,  M.  Gaimard  being  provided  with 
every  necessary  which  could  insure  the  success  of  the  ex- 
ploration with  which  he  was  charged,  I  left  him,  and  steered 
for  the  N.  W.  coast  of  the  island,  where  I  hove  to  among 
the  vessels  of  the  fishery.  After  remaining  some  days 
among  them,  I  proceeded  to  Dyre  Fiord,  for  the  purpose 
of  completing  water.  I  accidentally  found  in  this  bay  the 
Dutch  galliot  William  the  First,  commanded  by  Jacob  Van- 
keulen.  This  captain  had  with  him  last  year,  as  his  second, 
the  same  Pierre  de  Goede  who  gave  the  French  captain, 
Frederick,  the  report  which  I  had  the  honor  to  address  you 


The  Brig'-of-War  which  was  seen  lo  capsize  off  Iceland. 

some  time  after  my  return,  and  in  which  he  declared  he  had 
seen  a  French  brig-of-war  capsized  on  the  28th  of  August, 
1833,  some  miles  off  Cape  Staalbierg.  Captain  Vankeulen 
assured  me  that  Goede  had  frequently  spoken  of  this  wreck, 
and  informed  me  that  the  vessel  in  which  this  sailor  was 
embarked  in  1833,  was  commanded  by  the  same  Tunus 
Vandeflet;  and  that  his  owner  was  M.  Hoguedinck,  of 
Wardergen,  a  little  port  on  the  Meuse  ;  that  these  two  sea- 
men were  not  at  Iceland  this  year,  but  in  the  fishery  in  the 
north ;  and  it  would  be  easy,  on  their  return,  in  the  month 
of  October,  to  obtain  from  them  more  particulars. 


w^^ 


412       THE  THIRD  VOYAGE  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LILLOISE. 

After  having  again  visited  the  fishing  vessels,  and  received 
the  assurance  that  the  presence  of  the  Recherche  was  not 
immediately  necessary  among  them,  I  availed  myself,  on  the 
evening  of  the  14th,  of  a  favoring  breeze,  and  made  sail 
for  the  west  coast  of  Greenland.  From  some  information 
which  I  had  obtained  at  Cherburg  and  Reikavik,  I  learned 
that  Frederickshaal,  which  1  had  in  vain  sought  for  last  year, 
was  not  a  port,  but  simply  the  residence  of  two  Moravian 
brothers  ;  and  that  the  first  Danish  settlement  on  the  coast 
was  Julienshaal ;  that  the  approach  to  this  port  was  almost 
always  impracticable,  in  consequence  of  the  ice ;  and  to 
attain  it,  it  was  necessary  to  go  up  to  Frederickshaal,  and 
afterwards,  with  the  aid  of  a  pilot,  to  descend  along  the 
coast,  in  the  strait  between  it  and  the  ice.  This  intelHgence, 
together  with  the  hope,  which  M.  de  Krieger,  governor  of 
the  island,  had  given  me,  of  meeting  at  Frederickshaal  the 
Danish  captain,  Graah,  who,  of  all  persons,  could  give  me 
the  best  information  on  the  mission  with  which  I  was  charged, 
decided  me  to  steer  directly  for  this  place. 

With  a  favorable  wind,  I  reached  the  meridian  of  Cape 
Farewell  on  tlie  21st;  but  from  that  time  to  the  29th,  the 
winds  and  currents  prevented  my  making  much  progress. 
On  the  30th,  being  twenty-five  leagues  oflf  Frederickshaal, 
I  met  with  the  first  ice.  I  passed  all  that  night,  and  part 
of  the  1st  of  July,  in  working  between  two  banks,  which 
left  a  space  of  about  two  miles  between  them.  In  the  after- 
noon, the  breeze,  which  hauled  to  the  northward,  enabled 
me  to  make  good  progress  to  the  east,  along  a  bank  of  ice ; 
and  to  windward  were  several  open  spaces.  At  8  in  the 
evening,  my  progress  was  stopped  by  a  bank,  extending 
from  north  to  south.  After  having  ascertained  from  the 
mast-head  that  there  was  open  water  on  the  other  side  of  it, 
and  that  the  floes  were  not  so  fixed  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  find  a  passage  through  them,  I  determined  in 
passing  this  obstacle,  and  did  so  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
without  accident.  I  neared  the  land  afterwards  some 
leagues,  and  found  another  bank,  which  I  thought  it  as  well 
not  to  attempt  passing  through  at  the  commencement  of 
night ;  and  I  laid  by  in  the  space,  free  from  ice,  through 
which  I  had  come. 

At  2  to  3  in  the  morning,  this  clear  space  existed  no 


THE    SHIP     STRIKES    AN    ICEBERG.  413 

longer ;  the  ice  was  so  closed  together,  that  the  vessel  was 
surrounded  with  it  on  all  sides ;  and  it  was  almost  impossi- 
ble to  prevent  it  from  closing  on  the  vessel.  In  seeking  for 
an  open  channel,  and  with  this  view  crossing  a  bank  closed 
well  together,  the  Recherche  struck  violently  against  an  ice- 
berg ;  and  although  she  made  no  water,  I  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve that,  from  the  violence  of  the  shock,  her  hull  was  dam- 
aged. At  8  in  the  morning,  it  being  impossible  to  heave  to, 
I  made  the  vessel  fast  to  one  of  them  ;  but  scarcely  had 
the  men,  who  went  to  fix  the  graplin,  entered  the  boat,  to 
return  on  board  with  the  end  of  the  hawser,  when  the  ice 
broke,  and  occasioned  the  loss  of  the  graplin.  This  acci- 
dent, v»^hich  had  nearly  cost  the  lives  of  several  men,  obliged 
me  to  remain  under  canvass  ;  and  during  all  this  day  our 
greatest  pains  were  required  to  keep  the  ice  clear  of  the 
vessel. 

Until  the  evening,  in  spite  of  a  fresh  breeze,  the  sea 
remained  smooth ;  but  towards  8  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  ob- 
served a  swell  coming  from  the  northward,  which  shortly 
became  very  high.  From  this  time,  the  ice  became  in  mo- 
tion, and  set  to  the  south  with  more  or  less  velocity.  I 
judged  from  the  eddies  that  it  was  drifting  from  three  to 
four  miles  per  hour.  This  commotion  of  the  ice  rendered 
our  position  more  critical,  by  increasing  the  difficulty  of 
keeping  clear  of  large  bergs,  which  the  great  swell  that  pre- 
vailed rendered  very  dangerous. 

On  the  3d,  at  noon,  the  sea  became  clearer,  and  there 
only  remained  outside  the  vessel  a  few  very  large  bergs, 
sufficiently  scattering  to  enable  us  to  work  between  them. 
But  to  the  eastward  a  great  number  of  bergs  remained  com- 
pact together,  which  I  did  not  think  fit  to  encounter;  and  I 
decided  on  waiting  for  a  favorable  moment  to  approach  the 
land,  about  six  leagues  to  the  north  of  Frederickshaal.  It 
fell  calm,  and  on  the  next  day  I  despatched  an  Esquimaux 
fisherman  to  the  director  of  the  establishment,  requesting 
him  to  furnish  me  with  a  pilot.  In  the  evening  of  the  6th, 
after  passing  through  the  narrow  channels  formed  by  the 
islands  at  the  entrance  of  that  port,  the  Recherche  anchored 
in  an  excellent  roadstead,  secure  from  all  danger. 

I  received  from  M.  Moller,  the  director  of  this  establish- 
ment, the  most  generous  assistance.  He  apprized  me  that 
35* 


«^^^— ^^^^ 


414       THE  THIRD   VOYAGE   IN   SEARCH   OF   THE  LILLOISE. 

M.  Graah  was  at  Goodhaab,  a  colony  about  sixty  leagues  to 
the  north.  He  was  entirely  unacquainted  with  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  Lilloise,  and  had  never  heard  of  her.  Be- 
ing in  frequent  communication  with  other  estabhshments, 
and  particularly  with  that  of  Julienshaal,  he  assured  me 
that,  if  any  news  of  the  Lilloise  had  been  received  there,  he . 
would  have  known  it.  This  was  confirmed  to  me,  some 
time  afterwards,  by  the  arrival  of  M.  Woolf,  assistant  di- 
rector of  Julienshaal,  who  stated  that  nothing  was  known 
of  the  Lilloise. 

I  requested  M.  Moller,  whose  experience  of  eleven  years 
on  the  coast  rendered  his  opinion  valuable,  to  inform  me 
frankly  what  he  thought  of  the  possibility  that  the  crew  of 
the  Lilloise  might  arrive  at  a  Danish  settlement ;  and  I  can- 
not adopt  a  better  mode  of  communicating  to  you  his  opin- 
ion on  this  subject,  than  by  transmitting  a  literal  translation 
of  the  letter  which  M.  Moller  wrote  to  M.  Krieger,  in  answer 
to  that  which  I  had  sent  him. 

"M.  le  Governor:  Captain  Trehouart  has  requested  me 
to  inform  you,  by  letter,  the  opinion  which  I  entertain 
of  the  possibility  that  the  crew  of  the  Lilloise  may  have 
been  able  to  save  themselves ;  and  I  have  therefore  the 
honor  to  state  to  you,  that  although  such  an  event  is  not 
probable,  it  is  not  at  all  impossible  that  some  of  the  crew 
of  this  brig  may  be  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  eastern 
coast  of  Greenland  on  the  ice ;  more  particularly,  if  they 
had  light  boats,  provisions,  and  clothing,  to  protect  them 
against  the  cold,  during  many  days'  exposure  on  the  ice. 

"  Should  any  in  this  manner  be  so  fortunate  as  to  gain 
the  land,  it  will  not  be  impossible  that,  under  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, they  may  have  passed  along  the  coast  to  Fred- 
erickshaal ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  in  this  passage  they 
would  find  many  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  coast  from  whom 
they  would  derive  assistance  to  continue  their  route.  In 
this  case,  I  have  had  the  honor  of  informing  the  captain 
that  there  is  no  doubt,  if  the  crew  are  so  fortunate  as  to 
reach  Julienshaal,  they  will  be  treated  by  the  Danish  servants 
in  the  best  manner  the  circumstances  of  the  place  will  ad- 
mit ;  and  that  an  account  of  them  will  be  sent  to  the  royal 
mercantile  office  of  Greenland,  at  Copenhagen,  and  thence 
to  the  French  legation." 


THE    RECHERCHE    LEAVES    GREENLAND    FOR    ICELAND.    415 

On  my  arrival  at  Frederickshaal,  I  wrote  to  Messrs.  Graah 
and  Hollebiel ;  the  one  director,  and  the  other  inspector,  of 
Greenland.  I  communicated  to  them  the  object  of  my 
mission,  and  begged  them  to  inform  me  their  opinion  of  the 
hopes  which  we  yet  entertained  of  one  day  finding  our  lost 
countrymen.  I  could  have  their  answer  in  twelve  days,  and 
I  resolved  to  wait  for  it;  but  on  the  19th,  having  learnt  that 
these  gentlemen  had  quitted  Goodhaab,  and  were  making  a 
tour  in  the  north,  which  rendered  it  impossible  they  could 
receive  my  letters  till  the  end  of  August,  I  determined  to 
commence  my  return  to  Iceland,  and  I  requested  M.  Moller 
to  send  me  their  answers  by  the  first  opportunity. 

The  last  season  was  exceedingly  severe  on  this  coast. 
The  vessel  destined  for  Frederickhaal  was  blocked  up  there 
by  the  ice,  from  the  month  of  July,  and  forced  to  pass  the 
winter ;  that  of  Julienshaal,  after  being  detained  at  Fred- 
erickhaal for  fifteen  days,  for  the  opening  of  the  ice,  finished 
by  being  lost  before  she  reached  her  destination.  I  availed 
myself,  by  the  stay  of  the  Recherche  at  Frederickhaal,  to 
examine  her  bottom.  M.  de  Cotenson,  lieutenant  de  frigate, 
in  spite  of  the  temperature  being  at  zero,  dived  down  several 
times,  and  informed  me  that  the  stern  was  much  injured,  six 
feet  below  the  line  of  flotation  ;  that  a  piece  more  than  two 
feet  long  had  been  broken  off  by  the  ice,  and  that  it  ex- 
tended down  to  the  rabbit  of  the  keel,  leaving  the  ends  of 
the  planks  exposed.  It  being  impossible  to  repair  an  injury 
so  severe,  in  a  port  destitute  of  all  the  necessary  means,  I 
contented  myself  with  covering  it  with  a  greased  tarpaulin, 
trusting  that  the  vessel,  which  had  not  hitherto  proved  leaky, 
might  continue  so. 

On  the  21st,  I  quitted  Frederickhaal,  leaving  M.  Moller 
the  number  of  the  Annales  Maritimes  containing  a  copy  of 
the  order  which  ofTers  a  reward  to  any  one  who  shall  return 
to  France  all  or  part  of  the  crew  of  the  Lilloise.  After 
being  occupied  two  days  in  passing  the  drift-ice,  which 
happily  I  found  but  little  closed,  I  steered  for  Iceland,  and 
arrived  at  Dyre-Fiord  on  the  7th  of  August.  I  passed  some 
days  in  that  bay,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  fishermen, 
where  I  remained  until  their  departure  home. 

On  the  20th,  finding  the  brig  alone  on  the  western  coast, 
I  steered   for  Reikavik,  where  I   remained  till  the  3d  of 


416    THE    THIRD    VOYAGE    IN    SEARCH    OF    THE    LILLOISE. 

September.  Detained  by  easterly  winds  at  the  entrance  of 
the  east  channel,  it  was  not  till  the  27th  that  I  reached 
Cherburg. 


As  all  hopes  of  rescuing  the  Lilloise  had  now  vanished, 
the  name  of  that  unfortunate  vessel  was  formally  erased 
from  the  list  of  the  French  navy.  It  is  probable  that  a 
great  degree  of  obscurity  will  ever  envelop  her  fate ;  but 
the  most  probable  conjecture  is,  that  the  vessel  which  was 
seen  to  go  down  off  Iceland  was  her.  A  report  was  some 
time  prevalent,  that  a  stone  had  been  found  on  the  coast  of 
Greenland,  on  which  was  a  rudely-carved  inscription,  pur- 
porting to  have  been  done  by  some  of  her  unfortunate  com- 
pany ;  but  this,  and  many  other  rumors  which  reached 
France,  could  never  be  authenticated. 


A     VIVID    DESCRIPTION 

OF    THE 

BURNING  OF  THE  STEAMBOAT  LEXINGTON, 

DURING 

A  WINTER'S   NIGHT,    . 

ON    THE 

WATERS   OF   LONG  ISLAND  SOUND; 
January,  1840. 


T    4    o'clock    in    the    afternoon    of 
Monday,    the    13th    of    January, 
1840,  the  steamer  Lexington  left 
the  pier  in  New  York  for  Ston- 
ington,    in    Connecticut.       After 
threading    the    intricate    channels 
of  the    East    River,    and    passing 
the     eddying    dangers     of    Hurl 
Gate,  under  the  guidance  of  that 
skilful   pilot,  Captain  Manchester, 
she  reached  the  open  sound  before  nightfall,  and  pursued 
her  solitary  way  towards  her  destined  haven.     The  weather 
was  mild  for  the  season,  but  the  few  vessels  which  were  in 
sight  betokened   a  wintry  navigation ;   and   the  monotony 
of  the  scene  was  only  relieved  by  the  flocks  of  sea  fowl, 
affrighted  from  the  bosom  of  the  deep  by  the  splashing  of 
the  paddles.    The  brant  would  take  its  lengthened  flight ;  but 
the  black  duck,  on  sudden  wing,  just  skimmed  the  surface 
of  the  waves,  for  a  short  distance,  as  its  funereal  plumage 
glistened   in  the  setting  sun  ;  while,  high  in  air,  the  ever- 
restless  gull  careered  on  well-poised  wing,  or  shot  suddenly 
athwart  the  zenith. 


418        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

As  the  twilight  deepened,  the  starry  concave   began  to 
sparkle  ;  and  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon, 

"  The  lighthouse  fire  blazed 
Like  a  star  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean." 

The  evening  repast  being  prepared,  the  company  sat  down 
to  the  weil-furnished  board  of  Captain  Child,  whose  generous 
hospitality  and  urbane  demeanor  made  them  forget  for  the 
time  that  they  were  at  a  strange  table.  After  supper,  some 
passed  the  time  in  social  converse;  many,  who  were  fatigued, 
prepared  to  retire  to  their  berths  ;  others  sat  apart,  musing 
fondly  upon  the  anticipated  scenes  of  home,  w^hich  rose  more 
vividly  before  the  mind's  eye  the  nearer  they  approached  it. 
And  the  fond  mother  endeavored  to  lull  her  tender  children 
to  repose,  from  whose  weary  but  restless  eyelids  sleep  was 
debarred  by  the  novelty  of  their  situation. 

But  amidst  this  fancied  security,  the  cry  of  "J\Ve"  re- 
sounded throughout  the  fatal  bark.     That  fearful  cry,  which 
blanched  the  cheek  of  the  female,  and  quailed  the  heart  of 
the  timid,  nerved  the  breast  of  the  brave  and  resolute.     A 
simultaneous  rush  was  made  for  the  deck ;  upon  reaching 
which,  the  fire  was  discovered  near  the  smoke-pipe,  and  be- 
gan rapidly  to  extend  aft,  increasing  in  height  and  volume 
every  moment,  fanned,  as  it  was,  by  the  great  current  of  air 
generated  by  the  rapid  motion  of  the  boat.     The  greatest 
consternation  now  prevailed  ;  all  was  confusion  ;  no  system- 
atic course  of  action  could  be  adopted  :  it  was  attempted 
to  rig  the  fire-engine,  but  in  vain.     And  the  engineer  was 
driven  from  his  station  by  the  flames  which  encircled  the 
steam-engine,  and  to  stop  it  was  impossible ;   on  it  went, 
clanging  their  death  march,  with  fearful  revolutions.     The 
pilot  endeavored  to  head  her  for  the  land  ;  but  the  wheel- 
ropes  gave  way,  and  he  was  driven  from  his  station  almost 
suffocated,  and  she  was  left  to  plough  the  waters  at  random. 
Nothing  could  be  done ;  on  rushed  the  boat,  amid  the  shrieks 
of  the  sufferers,  the  crackling  of  the  fire,  and  the  roaring  of 
the  winds.     And  as  the  bags  of  cotton  became  enveloped 
in  the  flames,  they  would  burst  with  an  explosive  force,  fill- 
ing the  atmosphere  with  the  burning  flakes,  and  descending 
in  showers  upon  the  bosom  of  the  dark  waters ;  which,  for 


THE    AWFUL    SITUATION    OF    THE    COMPANY.  419 

a  great  distance  to  leeward,  appeared  an  undulating  plain  of 
fire.  The  sea  was  red,  the  heavens  were  red,  and  the  glow 
reddened  with  the  rest  the  pallid  brows  of  that  doomed  and 
flame-encircled  company. 

A  rush  was  now  made  for  the  quarter-boats,  and  they 
were  instantly  filled,  as  they  were  hanging  on  the  davits,  by 
the  bewildered  passengers.  But  in  lowering  them,  owing 
to  the  quick  motion  of  the  boat,  they  filled,  and  were  rap- 
idly left  behind  ;  the  loud  shriek  of  despair,  which  rose  from 
these  drowning  wretches,  was,  for  a  moment,  louder  than 
the  roaring  of  the  winds  and  flames.  The  life-boat  was 
now  resorted  to;  and  to  tear  the  covering  oflf,  and  launch 
it,  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment.  But,  being  forward  of 
the  wheel,  it  was  drawn  under,  and  torn  away  from  those 
who  held  the  warp.  The  fire  had  now  cut  ofl*  all  com- 
munication between  the  bow  and  stern  of  the  boat ;  on 
board  of  which  were  congregated  the  pious  and  the  learned, 
the  mechanic,  the  mariner,  and  the  merchant,  the  rich  and 
the  poor.  There  were  those  just  returning  from  years  of 
wandering  in  foreign  climes,  and  had  sailed  on  other  seas, 
when  the  blast  of  the  hurricane  put  on  its  greatest  fury ; 
others  who  had  been  on  board  of  ships  destroyed  by  fire 
and  shipwreck ;  one  who  was  at  Conception,  in  South 
America,  during  the  great  earthquake  of  1835,  when,  in 
the  short  space  of  six  minutes,  that  city  was  laid  in  ruins, — 
where  the  stunning  noise  of  falling  houses,  the  horrible 
cracking  of  the  earth,  the  stifling  heat,  the  blinding,  smoth- 
ering clouds  of  dust,  all  dwindled  before  the  present  terrific 
scene,  with  all  the  horrors  of  its  swift-approaching  and  in- 
evitable result. 

"  The  horrors  of  that  night,  passed  by  us  in  the  happy  un- 
consciousness of  sleep,  what  tongue  can  tell,  what  pencil  can 
paint,  what  heart  can  conceive  ? — men,  women,  and  children, 
hemmed  in  between  the  fierce  wintry  wave  and  the  fiercer 
flames,  —  drinking  drop  by  drop  the  bitterness  of  death, — 
hopeless,  inevitable  destruction  yawning  before  them, — the 
strength  of  the  strong,  the  courage  of  the  brave,  the  presence 
of  mind  of  the  collected,  alike  unavailing.  What  thoughts 
of  anguish  unutterable  must  have  wrung  the  hearts  of  those 
devoted  victims'. — thoughts  of  the  loved  ones  they  had  left, 
or  were  hastening  to  join.     What  vivid  pictures  of  home 


420        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

must  have  risen  up  before  the  mind's  eye,  to  deepen  the 
gloom  and  horror  of  the  real  scene  around  them.  The  im- 
agination recoils  from  these  sad  images,  and  we  forbear  to 
fill  up  the  outlines  of  so  terrific  a  picture." 

As  all  hopes  of  being  saved  by  the  boats  were  now  cut 
off,  the  most  desperate  exertions  were  made  by  those  on  the 
forecastle  to  keep  back  the  fire,  in  hopes  that  some  vessel 
might  come  to  their  rescue.  Every  thing  which  could  hold 
water  was  eagerly  seized  upon  ;  and  the  boxes  containing 
specie  were  broken  open,  the  dollars  poured  out  and  trodden 
under  foot  as  worthless,  whilst  the  boxes  were  used  to  throw 
water  on  the  devouring  flames.  Thus,  inch  by  inch,  they 
were  driven  forward,  fighting  the  fire,  until  driven  over  the 
bows  into  the  icy  bosom  of  a  wintry  sea.  The  survivors  on 
the  forecastle,  at  this  period,  were  calm  and  collected,  and^ 
making  every  exertion  to  save  their  lives,  by  throwing  the 
baggage  crates  overboard,  and  making  a  raft  of  tne  flag-staff 
and  planks. 

At  1 2  o'clock.  Captain  Manchester  left,  telling  them  that 
every  thing  which  man  could  do  had  been  done.  We  thus 
have  intelligence  from  the  forecastle  four  hours  later  than 
from  the  quarter-deck  ;  as  what  took  place  there,  after  8 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  is  only  known  to  Him  who  received 
their  dying  aspirations  in  that  fearful  hour  of  their  dissolu- 
tion. As  they  must  have  seen  at  once  the  utter  impossibility 
of  all  human  exertions  to  reach  any  earthly  strand,  it  is 
probable  that  they  soon  began  to  prepare  for  landing  on  the 
distant  shores  of  eternity.  But  as  we  should  be  out  of  our 
depth  in  sounding  upon  this  subject,  we  will  leave  the  coast 
clear  for  the  opinions  of  those  great  and  good  men  who  are 
so  profoundly  acquainted  with  the  philosophy  of  the  human 
mind,  and  of  its  secret  workings  in  such  fearful  emergencies. 
Dr.  Channing,  in  touching  upon  this  subject,  while  speaking 
of  his  friend,  Dr.  Follen,  says  — 

"  It  was  not  the  physical  pain  which  I  shuddered  at,  when 
I  first  heard  of  that  night  of  horrors.  It  was  the  mental 
agony  of  those  who,  in  a  moment  of  health  and  security, 
were  roused  to  see  distinctly  the  abyss  opening  before  them, 
to  see  God's  awful  ministers  of  fire  and  sea  commissioned 
to  sunder  at  once  every  hold  on  life,  and  to  carry  them  so 
unwarned  into  the  unknown  world.     Even  this  agony,  how- 


RELIGIOUS    REFLECTIONS.  421 

ever,  in  the  first  moment  of  our  grief  and  horror,  was  per- 
haps exaggerated. 

"'  When  my  mind,  composed  by  time,  now  goes  back  to 
that  flame-encircled  boat,  I  search  for  one  among  the  crowd, 
who  was  singularly  dear  to  me,  the  close  and  faithful  friend 
of  many  years  ;  and  as  he  rises  to  my  mind,  I  see  no  terror 
on  his  countenance.  I  see  him  with  collected  mind  and 
quick  eye  looking  round  him  for  means  of  escape,  using 
every  energy  of  a  fearless  spirit,  thoughtful,  too,  of  others  as 
well  as  himself,  and  desisting  from  no  efforts  of  love  and 
prudence  till  the  power  of  effort  failed.  I  see,  indeed,  one 
agony ;  it  was  the  thought  that  the  dear  countenances  of  wife, 
and  child,  and  beloved  friend,  were  to  be  seen  no  more  on 
earth.  I  see  another,  perhaps  deeper  agony  ;  it  was  the 
thought  of  the  woe  which  his  loss  was  to  inflict  on  hearts 
dearer  to  him  than  life.  But  even  at  that  hour  his  love  was 
not  all  agony  ;  for  it  had  always  lived  in  union  with  faith. 
He  had  loved  spiritually;  he  had  reverenced  in  his  friends 
an  infinite,  undying  nature;  he  had  cherished  in  them  prin- 
ciples and  hopes  stronger  than  death.  I  cannot  doubt  that, 
in  that  fearful  hour,  he  committed  them  and  himself  with 
filial  trust  to  the  all-merciful  Father.  I  cannot  doubt  that 
death  was  disarmed  of  its  worst  terrors  —  that  the  spirit  passed 
away  in  breathings  of  unutterable  love  and  immortal  hope. 
Thus  died  one  of  that  seemingly  forlorn,  desolate,  forsaken 
company ;  I  hope  thus  others  died.  But  one  such  example 
mingles  with  the  terrors  and  ao^onies  of  that  night  so  much 
that  is  heavenly,  soothing,  cheering,  that  I  can  look  at  the 
scene  without  overwhelming  gloom,  and  without  one  doubt 
of  the  perfect  goodness  of  God." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Lathrop,  in  speaking  of  their  situation  at  this 
time,  says — "  They  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait,  to  suffer, 
and  to  die.  If  ever  any  situation  required  manhood,  fortitude, 
and  the  power  of  religious  faith,  it  must  have  been  this.  Let 
us  trust,  brethren,  that  these  were  not  wanting.  Let  us  trust 
that  those  brief  hours  were  not  all  hours  of  pain,  of  grief, 
of  unmitigated  anguish.  Let  us  hope  that  while  glad  mem- 
ories of  the  past  thronged  thick  and  fast  upon  their  minds, 
and  burning  thoughts  of  home,  of  wife,  of  husband,  of  chil- 
dren, and  kindred,  no  more  to  be  seen  on  earth,  tore  with 
anguish  their  hearts,  there  also  came  in  upon  their  souls, 
36 


422        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

sweet  and  holy  in  its  influences,  that  faith,  mightier  than  any- 
human  affection,  stronger  than  any  mortal  peril,  which  lifts 
the  spirit  to  God,  and  gives  it  peace  in  death." 

One  scene,  which  took  place  on  that  quarter-deck,  as  cir- 
cumstantially told,  is  truly  affecting,  and  shows  the  powerful 
and  sacred  feelings  of  maternity,  even  in  such  an  appalling 
situation.  A  little  boy,  the  son  of  Mrs.  Bates,  was  picked 
up  on  the  shore  ;  and  upon  removing  the  frozen  sea-weed 
with  which  his  lifeless  form  was  entangled,  a  lady's  green 
veil  was  found  carefully  tied  round  his.  face,  to  protect  it 
from  the  scorching  cinders  and  suffocating  smoke.  Heaven 
lifted  high  its  everlasting  portals  to  admit  such  a  noble  spirit 
and  her  kindred  offspring. 

The  unfortunate  boat  kept  floating  on  ;  and  for  hours  the 
blaze  was  seen  shooting  up  from  her  in  columns,  lighting  the 
whole  Sound,  and  then  dying  away  in  darkness.  Thus  the 
evening  wore  on,  and  midnight  still  found  her  cindery  hulk 
just  oscillating  on  the  surface.  At  this  time,  a  few  well- 
directed  thrusts  of  an  oar  through  the  charred  sides,  would 
have  sent  her  rapidly  to  the  bottom.  Under  her  counter  and 
guards,  a  few  wretched  beings,  scorched,  maimed,  and  cov- 
ered with  soot,  still  clung  instinctively  to  life.  From  the  drift 
of  the  Lexington,  and  the  place  where  last  seen,  she  must 
have  been  drifted  directly  for  the  light  boat,  on  the  Middle 
Ground,  and  could  not  have  been  more  than  two  or  three 
miles  from  it  when  last  discovered  by  her  blaze,  showing  her 
solitary  and  sable  pipes  standing  as  monuments  over  some 
mighty  moving  catacomb  of  death. 

About  3  o'clock,  as  one  of  the  survivors,  who  was  float- 
ing on  a  bale  of  cotton,  and  had  drifted  to  a  great  distance, 
bent  his  eager  gaze  to  where  the  curve  of  the  horizon  was 
broken  by  the  view  of  the  burning  boat,  which  was  now 
fast  decreasing  in  vividness,  suddenly  the  curve  which  was 
cut  off  became  connected,  and  in  vain  his  strained  eye 
sought  the  unfortunate  Lexington  ;  nothing  obstructed  the 
view  of  sky  and  ocean  ;  she  had  gone  down,  and  the  pale 
moon  alone  shed  her  silvery  effulgence  on  the  wave.  After 
a  few  moments,  no  shrieks,  no  shouts  from  her  were  longer 
heard ;  the  bitterness  of  death  was  passed ;  all  was  tranquil 
as  the  grave. 

It  is  painful  to  contemplate,  that  out  of  one  hundred  and 


THE    SUFFERINGS    Oi"    MR.   CROWLEY.  423 

fifty  human  beings,  who  saw  the  sun  set  from  that  deck,  but 
four  should  live  to  see  it  rise ;  the  rest  having  passed  off 
like  the  meteor  at  night,  never  to  be  seen  again.  Spring 
v/ith  its  verdure,  summer  with  its  flowers,  and  autumn  with 
its  golden  fruits,  have  come  and  passed  ;  but  their  lifeless 
forms  are  not  recovered,  for  they  are  supulchred  among 
the  wild  and  wandering  waters  —  those  who  expected  to 
sleep  in  the  tombs  of  their  ancestors,  under  the  willows  of 
their  native  churchyard,  or  among  the  flowery  avenues  of 
Mount  Auburn,  where  the  marble  obelisk  stands  embowered 
amid  the  deep  and  waving  foliage,  as  the  ever-varying  tints 
of  sunlight  and  shadow  chase  over  its  polished  surface.  But, 
far  removed  from  scenes  like  those,  here  they  repose  among 
the  coral  groves  of  the  ocean,  enveloped  in  the  long  sea- 
grass  for  a  winding-sheet. 

A  few  of  their  bones,  after  being  thrown  upon  the  shore 
and  bleached  by  the  sea  fogs,  may  glitter  among  the  sands  • 
but  by  far  the  greater  number  of  these  unfortunates,  together 
with  the  ponderous  machinery,  metallic  substances,  earthen 
and  glass  utensils,  have  become  embedded  in  the  sediment 
at  the  bottom ;  where  these  bones  and  substances,  being 
removed  from  the  mechanical  action  of  the  waves  and  the 
corrosion  of  the  sea  water,  will  last  for  indefinite  ages ;  and 
when,  by  the  revolution  of  matter,  the  bottom  of  Long  Island 
Sound  may  have  become  the  bed  of  a  fruitful  valley,  and 
the  surface  is  penetrated  for  the  purposes  of  agriculture  or 
the  arts,  they  may  be  discovered,  to  adorn  the  cabinets  of 
the  geologists  and  antiquaries  of  those  remote  periods. 

We  will  now  leave  the  Lexington  at  the  bottom,  and 
ascend  to  the  surface  of  that  dark  and  wintry  sea,  on  which 
ten  or  twelve  human  beings  were  left  floating  on  fragments 
of  the  wreck  and  bales  of  cotton.  Four  only  survived  ;  and 
we  will  give  the  story  of  Mr.  Crowley,  the  second  mate,  whose 
sufl?erings  were  the  longest  protracted. 

When  the  alarm  of  fire  was  given,  he  proceeded  to  the 
spot,  and  there  discovered  six  bales  of  cotton  on  fire.  He 
immediately  handed  up  to  Captain  Manchester,  who  was  on 
the  promenade  deck,  three  pails  of  water ;  and  then,  with 
others,  continued  to  draw  water  and  throw  it  on  the  fire 
until  driven  away  by  the  strength  of  the  flames.  Before 
leaving  the  wreck,  he  saw  one  of  the  quarter-boats  launched 


I 


424        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

by  some  of  the  passengers,  and  called  out  to  them  "  to  put 
the  plug  in  tlie  boat ;  "  he  assisted  one  of  the  passengers 
to  throw  overboard  the  "  hawser  tub,"  and  another  the 
''  chaffing  board ;  "  he  then  threw  over  a  '*  side  plank,"  and 
jumped  on  it,  but  soon  afterwards  swam  to  a  bale  of  cotton 
which  floated  near  him. 

The  moon  set  soon  after  the  boat  sunk,  and  he  was  left 
in  darkness  ;  but  he  thrashed  his  benumbed  limbs,  to  keep 
them  from  freezing.  When  the  dawning  light  of  Tuesday 
morning  had  silvered  the  surface  of  the  Sound,  he  minutely 
scanned  every  point  of  the  horizon,  in  hopes  of  receiving 
succor  from  some  passing  vessel ;  but  in  vain  ;  no  sail  ap- 
peared in  sight  until  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  when  a 
sloop  was  seen  to  leave  the  Long  Island  shore ;  and,  after 
nearing  tiie  place  where  the  I^exington  was  last  seen, 
twice  she  rounded  to,  and  at  each  time  picked  up  a  man. 
He  endeavored,  by  waving  his  waistcoat,  to  attract  their  at- 
tention, but  in  vain.  She  sailed  back  to  the  shore  with  the 
rescued,  leaving  him  to  suffer  on  the  waves.  But,  with  true 
fortitude,  he  never  lost  his  presence  of  mind,  or  his  hope 
of  escape  ;  and  noted  the  different  points  of  land,  which 
he  knew,  as  he  floated  past  them.  When  the  night  of 
Tuesday  came  on,  he  thought  himself  near  Falkland  Island, 
and  expected  to  drift  ashore  there ;  but  finding  himself  ex- 
hausted, he,  miraculous  to  state,  composed  himself  on  his 
bale  of  cotton,  went  to  sleep,  and  slept  soundly  until  morn- 
ing. Much  revived  by  his  sleep,  he  continued  through  the 
following  day  to  make  every  exertion  his  situation  permit- 
ted to  reach  the  land,  which,  however,  he  did  not  do  until 
9  o'clock  at  night. 

After  the  bale  grounded,  he  crawled  several  rods,  through 
the  loose  ice,  to  the  dry  beach.  His  passage  was  obstructed 
by  a  high  bank.  He  with  difficulty  climbed  to  the  summit, 
and  having  become  completely  exhausted,  he  was  on  the 
point  of  sinking  down,  when  he  saw  a  light.  Hope  now  gave 
him  new  life,  and  mustering  all  his  strength,  he  pushed  for- 
ward, and  upon  reaching  it,  he  found  that  it  lit  up  the  hos- 
pitable hearth  of  Mr.  Huntingdon.  And  the  family  circle 
were  at  that  moment  listening  to  the  particulars  of  the  loss 
of  the  Lexington,  which  the  son,  who  had  just  arrived  from 
was  telling.     His  unexpected  appearance  in  the 


CAPT.  hillard's  statement.  425 

little  family  circle,  pale  and  wretched,  with  his  waistcoat 
wound  round  his  head,  naturally  created  a  sensation  ;  but 
he  had  scarce  time  to  tell  that  he  was  one  who  had  escaped 
from  the  scene  of  death,  ere  he  received  all  the  care  and 
attention  his  situation  required.  His  feet  were  badly  frost- 
bitten ;  but  in  a  few  days  he  was  able  to  leave  for  New 
York. 

Captain  Chester  Hillard,  a  passenger,  gives  the  following 
statement :  — 

''  I  went  on  board  of  the  Lexington  at  3  o'clock,  P.  M. 
The  greatest  proportion  of  the  freight  consisted  of  cotton, 
which  was  stowed  under  the  promenade  deck.  Between 
the  wheel-house  and  engine,  there  was  sufficient  space  for  a 
person  to  pass ;  and  there  was  a  tier  of  cotton  bales,  stowed 
in  the  passage,  on  the  side  next  to  the  wheel-house.  I  went 
into  the  forecastle,  over  which  were  three  or  four  baggage 
cars.  The  life-boat  was  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  prom- 
enade deck,  forward  of  the  wheel-house,  covered  with  can- 
vass. I  took  no  notice  of  her  until  I  saw  persons  endeavor- 
ing to  clear  her  away.  We  took  supper  about  6  o'clock ; 
there  were  two  tables  set,  rather  more  than  half  the  length 
of  the  cabin :  they  were  filled,  and  some  of  the  passengers 
had  to  wait  for  the  second  table.  The  boat  was  going  at 
the  rate  of  twelve  or  fourteen  knots  per  hour. 

"  As  I  was  on  the  point  of  turning  in,  about  an  hour  after 
supper,  and  had  taken  my  coat  and  boots  off,  I  heard 
the  alarm  of  fire.  I  did  not  at  the  time  apprehend  any 
thing  serious,  but,  quickly  dressing  myself,  and  taking  my 
overcoat  under  my  arm,  went  on  deck,  and  discovered  the 
casing  of  the  smoke-pipe,  and  a  part  of  the  promenade  deck, 
on  fire.  There  was  a  great  rush  of  the  passengers,  and 
much  confusion ;  the  after  part  of  the  casing  was  burning, 
and  the  fire  was  making  aft. 

"  I  saw  nothing  of  the  commander,  but  from  what  I  could 
hear  of  the  crew  forward,  I  supposed  they  Avere  at  work, 
trying  to  rig  the  fire-engine.  I  saw  no  buckets  used,  and 
think  they  were  not  made  use  of,  and  think  that  the  fire- 
engine  was  not  got  to  work.  I  shortly  after  went  on  the 
promenade  deck ;  but  my  attention  had  previously  been 
directed  to  the  passengers,  who  were  rushing  into  the  quar- 
ter-boats ;  and  when  I  went  on  the  quarter-deck,  they  were 
36* 


mmmm 


4^6        THE    BURNING     OF    THE     STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

both  filled.  They  seemed  to  be  determined  to  destroy 
themselves,  as  well  as  the  boats,  which  were  their  only 
means  of  safety.  I  went  to  the  starboard  boat,  which  they 
were  lowering  away;  they  lowered  it  until  she  took  the 
water,  and  then  some  one  cut  away  the  forward  tackle-fall, 
when  the  boat  instantly  filled  with  water,  there  being  some 
twenty  persons  in  her  at  the  time  ;  the  boat  passed  immedi- 
ately astern,  entirely  clear.  I  then  went  to  the  other  side ; 
this  boat  was  cleared  away  and  lowered  in  the  same  manner, 
full  of  passengers.  She  fell  astern  like  the  other,  and  was 
disengaged  before  she  had  entirely  filled. 

''By  this  time  the  fire  had  so  increased,  that  I  pretty 
much  made  up  my  mind  tliat '  it  ivas  a  gone  case/  and  thought 
that  the  best  thing  that  could  be  done  was  to  run  the  boat 
ashore ;  and  for  this  purpose  went  to  the  wheel-house  after 
Captain  Child.  He  was  there,  and  upon  advising  him  to 
run  ashore,  he  replied  that  she  was  already  headed  for  the 
land.  The  fire  by  this  time  began  to  come  up  around  the 
promenade  deck  ;  and  the  wheel-house  was  completely  filled 
with  smoke.  There  were  two  or  three  on  the  promenade 
deck,  near  the  wheel-house,  and  their  attention  was  turned 
to  the  life-boat.  I  was  apprehensive  that  the  promenade 
deck  would  fall  through,  but  assisted  to  strip  off  the  can- 
vass and  clear  away  the  boat ;  but  did  not  intend  going  in 
her,  as  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that,  if  they  got  her  down 
on  the  main  deck,  they  would  serve  her  as  they  had  done 
the  others.  I  now  found  it  was  time  to  leave  the  prome- 
nade deck,  as  the  fire  was  bursting  up  through  it.  Upon 
going  aft,  down  on  the  main  deck,  found  them  at  work  with 
the  hose,  but  whether  by  the  aid  of  the  engine,  or  not,  I  can- 
not say ;  and  I  did  not  know,  at  the  time,  that  there  was  a 
force  pump  on  board. 

"  The  smoke  now  became  so  dense,  that  I  could  not  see 
distinctly  what  they  were  about.  And  I  think  that  the  com- 
munication with  the  forepart  of  the  vessel  was  now  cut  off. 
Up  to  this  time,  from  the  first  hearing  of  the  alarm,  perhaps 
twenty  minutes  had  elapsed  ;  and  the  engine  had  stopped. 
I  recommended  to  the  few  passengers  and  deck  hands  who 
remained,  to  throw  the  cotton  overboard:  after  we  had  done  it, 
I  told  them  they  must  do  something  for  themselves,  and  the 
best  thing  they  could  do  was  to  take  to  the  cotton.     There 


CAPT.    HILLARD    DRIFTS    AWAY    FROM    THE    BOAT.       427 

were  ten  or  twelve  bales  thrown  overboard  ;  which  was 
nearly  all  that  remained  on  the  larboard  side,  which  had  not 
taken  fire,  I  cut  off  four  or  five  fathoms  of  line,  and  with 
it  spanned  a  bale  of  cotton,  which,  I  believe,  was  the  last 
one  not  on  fire ;  it  vv^as  a  very  snug,  square  bale,  about  four 
feet  long,  three  wide,  and  a  foot  and  a  half  thick.  Aided 
by  one  of  the  firemen,  I  put  the  bale  upon  the  rail,  round 
which  we  took  a  turn,  clipped  it  down  below  the  guard, 
when  we  both  got  on  to  it.  The  boat  lay  broadside  to  the 
wind,  and  we  were  under  the  lee  of  the  boat  on  the  larboard 
side.  We  placed  ourselves  one  on  each  end  of  the  bale, 
facing  each  other  ;  and  the  bale  floated  about  one  third  out 
of  the  water.  The  wind  was  pretty  fresh,  and  we  drifted 
at  the  rate  of  a  mile  and  a  half  per  hour.  We  did  not  lash 
ourselves  on,  but  coiled  up  the  rope  and  laid  it  on  the  bale. 
My  companion  did  not  like  the  idea  of  leaving  the  boat  im- 
mediately, but  wished  to  hold  on  to  the  guards.  I  deter- 
mined to  get  out  of  the  way,  being  convinced  that  to  remain 
there  much  longer,  would  become  pretty  hot  quarters.  We 
accordingly  shoved  the  bale  round  the  stern,  and,  the  mo- 
ment we  reached  it,  were  drifted  from  the  boat.  This  was 
just  8  o'clock  by  my  watch,  which  I  looked  at. 

"  As  we  left  the  wreck,  I  picked  up  a  piece  of  board,  and 
used  it  as  a  paddle,  or  rudder,  with  which  to  keep  the  bale 
end  to  the  sea. 

"  At  the  time  Vv^e  left  the  boat,  there  were  but  few  per- 
sons remaining  on  board.  I  saw  one  lady.  The  ladies' 
cabin  was  then  all  on  fire.  The  reason  why  I  noticed  the 
lady  was,  that  her  child  had  got  overboard,  and  was  then 
about  two  rods  from  her.  We  passed  by  the  child  so  near, 
that  I  could  put  my  hand  on  it  as  it  lay  on  its  back.  The 
lady  saw  us  approaching  the  child,  and  cried  out  for  us  to 
save  it.  We  then  drifted  away  from  the  boat,  and  it  was 
pretty  rough.  I  had  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  manage  my 
bale  of  cotton  ;  we  were  sitting  astride  of  the  bale,  with  our 
feet  in  the  water.  I  was  wet  up  to  the  middle,  from  the 
water  which  at  times  washed  over  the  bale.  We  were  in 
sight  of  the  boat  all  the  time,  till  she  went  down,  about  a 
mile  off.  When  we  left  the  wreck,  it  was  cloudy;  but  about 
9  o'clock,  it  cleared  off,  and  we  had  a  fine  night  of  it  until 
the  moon  went  down.     I  looked  at  my  watch  as  often  as 


428        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAIVIBOAT    LEXINGTON. 

every  half  hour,  through  the  night ;  the  boat  went  down  at 
3  o'clock.  It  was  so  cold  as  to  make  it  necessary  for  me  to 
exert  myself  to  keep  warm  ;  which  I  did  by  whipping  my 
hands  and  arms  around  my  body.  About  4  o'clock,  the  bale 
capsized  with  us ;  a  heavy  sea  came  and  carried  the  bale 
over  end-ways ;  my  companion  was  at  this  time  with  me, 
and  we  managed  to  get  to  the  bale  on  its  opposite  side.  We 
at  this  time  lost  our  piece  of  board ;  afterwards  the  bale  was 
unmanageable.  My  companion  had  complained  a  good  deal 
of  the  cold  from  our  first  setting  out.  His  name  was  Cox,  a 
fireman.  On  our  first  starting  from  the  boat,  I  gave  him  my 
vest,  as  he  had  on  his  chest  only  a  flannel  shirt.  He  had  on 
pantaloons,  boots,  and  cap. 

"  Cox  remained  on  the  bale  after  it  had  upset  about  two 
hours,  until  daylight.  For  the  last  half  hour  he  was  speech- 
less, and  lost  the  power  of  his  limbs,  as  he  did  not  try  to 
hold  on.  I  rubbed  him,  and  beat  his  flesh,  to  keep  up  the 
circulation.  But  the  bale  coming  broadside  to  the  sea,  it 
gave  a  lurch,  and  Cox  slipped  oflf,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 
He  went  down  without  a  struggle.  I  then  got  into  the  mid- 
dle of  the  bale,  to  make  it  ride  easy,  and  tlxen  got  my  feet 
on  it,  and  so  remained  until  the  sloop  picked  me  up.  The 
sea  had  by  this  time  become  quite  smooth.  On  seeing  the 
sloop,  I  waved  my  hat,  to  attract  the  attention  of  those  on 
board.     I  was  not  frozen  in  any  part. 

''The  name  of  the  sloop  was  the  ^Merchant/  Captain 
Meeker,  of  Southport,  who  are  entitled  to  a  great  deal  of 
credit,  as  they  did  more  on  the  occasion  than  any  one  else. 
They  tried,  during  the  night,  to  get  out  to  the  aid  of  those 
on  board  the  Lexington ;  but  in  coming  out,  she  grounded 
on  the  bar,  and  they  were  compelled,  before  they  could  get 
her  off*,  to  lighten  her. 

"  It  was  1 1  o'clock  when  I  was  picked  up.  The  sloop 
had,  previous  to  reaching  me,  spoken  the  light  boat,  to  ascer- 
tain the  direction  of  the  fire.  On  board,  I  had  every  possi- 
ble attention  shown  me ;  they  took  me  into  the  cabin,  and 
then  cruised  in  search  of  others.  They  picked  up  two  other 
living  men.  Captain  Manchester  and  Mr.  Charles  E.  Smith." 

Her  excellent  pilot.  Captain  Manchester,  gives  the  follow- 
ing narration  :  — 

"  About  half  past  7  o'clock,  some  one  came  to  the  wheel- 


THE    LIFE-BOAT    IS    LAUNCHED.  429 

house  door,  and  told  me  the  boat  was  on  fire.  On  looking 
aft,  I  saw  the  upper  deck  burning  all  round  the  smoke-pipe, 
blazing  up  two  or  three  feet ;  the  flame  appeared  to  be  in  a 
thin  sheet  all  around  the  smoke-pipe,  coming  up  through  the 
promenade  deck.  I  then  returned  into  the  wheel-house,  and 
put  the  wheel  hard  a~port,  to  steer  for  the  Long  Island  shore, 
about  four  miles  distant.  But  before  she  headed  for  the 
shore,  Captain  Child  came  and  took  hold  of  the  spoke  of 
the  wheel,  and  something  gave  way,  which  I  believe  was  the 
tiller  rope.  The  smoke  now  came  into  the  wheel-house  so 
thick,  that  Captain  Child  was  obliged  to  go  out ;  and  I  fol- 
lowed him.  I  then  called  to  them  on  the  forecastle  to  get 
out  the  fire-engine  and  buckets :  the  engine  was  got  out, 
but  they  could  not  get  at  the  buckets;  or,  at  least,  I  only 
saw  a  few.  I  now  went  to  the  life-boat,  and  found  some 
persons  taking  the  tarpaulin  off  it.  I  caught  hold  of  the 
lashing  of  the  boat,  and  requested  them  not  to  let  her  go 
until  we  got  a  line  fastened  to  her.  The  fire  was  then  burn- 
ing through  the  promenade  deck.  I  cut  the  lashing,  and  told 
them  to  launch  the  boat.  I  jumped  down  on  the  forward 
deck,  took  hold  of  the  hawser,  and  found  it  was  not  fastened 
to  the  steamboat.  I  told  them  to  hold  on  to  the  rope,  but 
they  all  let  go  one  after  another  ;  the  engine  was  still  going, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  let  it  go  myself  also.  We  then  found 
two  buckets,  and  commenced  throwing  water  with  them 
and  the  specie  boxes  ;  whilst  doing  this,  some  others  took 
the  flag-stafTs,  and  parts  of  the  bulwarks,  and  made  a  raft,  to 
which  we  made  a  line  fast,  and  hove  it  over  the  side  of  the 
boat ;  we  then  threw  the  baggage  overboard  from  four  bag- 
gage cars,  and  made  them  fast  with  a  line  ;  the  engine  was 
now  stopped  ;  we  threw  out  every  thing  by  which  we  thought 
any  person  could  save  themselves,  and  threw  on  water,  in 
hopes  that  some  person  might  come  to  our  relief. 

"  The  main  deck  now  fell  in  as  far  as  the  capstan ;  the 
people  had  by  this  time  got  overboard,  some  of  them 
drowned,  and  others  hurrying  on  to  the  baggage  cars,  the 
raft,  and  other  things.  What  was  left  of  the  main  deck 
was  now  on  fire ;  and  got  us  cornered  up,  in  so  small  a 
space,  that  we  could  do  nothing  more  by  throwing  water. 
There  were  then  only  eight  or  ten  persons  astern,  on  the 
steamboat,  and  about  thirty  on  the  forecastle.     They  asked 


430        THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON-. 

me  what  they  should  do,  and  I  told  them  there  was  no 
chance  for  any  of  us  ;  that  if  we  staid  there  we  should  be 
burned  to  death,  and  if  we  went  overboard  we  should  proba- 
bly perish. 

"  I  then  took  a  piece  of  spun-yarn  and  made  it  fast  to  my 
coat,  and  also  to  the  rail,  and  so  eased  myself  down  upon 
the  raft.  There  were  two  or  three  others  on  it  already,  and 
my  weight  sunk  it.  I  held  on  to  the  rope  until  it  came  up 
again ;  and  when  it  did,  I  sprang  up  and  caught  a  piece  of 
railing,  which  was  in  the  water,  and  from  thence  got  on  a 
bale  of  cotton,  where  there  was  a  man  sitting ;  found  the 
bale  was  made  fast  to  the  railing,  took  out  my  knife  and  cut 
it  off,  I  saw  a  man  standing  on  the  piece  of  railing ;  he 
asked  me  if  there  was  room  for  another.  I  made  no  an- 
swer, and  he  jumped  and  knocked  off  the  man  that  was 
with  me,  and  I  hauled  him  on  again.  I  caught  a  piece  of 
board,  which  was  floating  past  me,  and  shoved  the  bale 
clean  off  from  the  raft,  and  used  the  board  to  endeavor  to 
get  in  shore  at  Crane  Neck  Point,  but  I  could  not  succeed. 
When  I  left  the  wreck,  I  looked  at  my  watch ;  it  was  1 2 
o'clock.  The  man  on  the  bale  with  me  said  his  name  was 
M'Kenny,  and  lived  at  New  York  ;  he  died  about  3  o'clock. 
When  I  hauled  him  on  the  bale,  I  encouraged  him,  and  told 
him  to  thrash  his  hands.  My  hands  now  became  so  frozen 
that  I  could  not  use  them  at  all.  The  last  thing  I  recollect 
was  seeing  the  sloop,  and  I  raised  my  handkerchief,  hoping 
they  would  see  me.  I  was  then  sitting  on  the  cotton,  with 
my  feet  in  the  water.  The  cotton  never  rolled  at  all, 
although  there  were  some  heavy  seas.  The  man  who  was 
on  the  bale  spoke  of  his  wife  and  children  ;  that  he  had 
kissed  them  the  morning  he  left  home,  that  he  was  never 
before  through  the  Sound.  I  was  taken  off  the  cotton  by 
Captain  Meeker,  and  carried  to  Southport,  where  I  received 
every  possible  attention." 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Lexington's  company,  as 
near  as  could  be  ascertained :  — 

New  YorJc,  —  H.  C.  Craig;  Charles  Bracket;  Mr.  Fow- 
ler; R.  W.  Dow;  Mr.  Bullard  ;  Charles  S.  Noyes;  Albert 
E.  Harding ;  Mrs.  Russel  Jarvis,  and  two  children ;  Mr. 
Stuyvesant;  Stephen  Waterbury ;  E.  B.  Patten;  Patrick 
M'Kenna  ;  Thomas  James  ;  Wm.  Cowen  ;  Mr.  Lawrence ; 


,    -      THE    NAMES    OF    THE    PASSENGERS.  431 

Charles  Boswell ;  Richard  Pierpont ;  Mr.  Phipps ;  Mr. 
Carey ;  William  H,  Townsend ;  two  children,  (names  not 
given ;)  four  colored  persons. 

Boston. — Isaac  Davis;  John  Brown;  Charles  W.  Wool- 
sey ;  Abraham  Howard ;  Adolphus  Harnden,  superintend- 
ent of  Harnden's  Express,  (he  had  in  charge  $'18,000  in 
specie,  and  f 20,000  in  bills;)  Mr.  White;  Mr.  Everett; 
Captain  John  G.  Low ;  Henry  J.  Fiini ;  Charles  Eberle  ; 
J.  A.  Leach  ;  Nathaniel  Hobart ;  H.  C.  Bradford;  Benja- 
min D.  Holmes;  William  Dexter;  T.  H.  M.  Lyon;  Otis 
Eldridge. 

Providence.  —  John  L.  Winslow,  and  his  son  John 
Winslow,  (were  carrying  home  the  corpse  of  his  son  H. 
A.  Winslow,  in  company  of  the  widow ;)  Captain  Benjamin 
F.  Foster ;  William  A.  Greene  ;  Elias  Brown,  jun. ;  William 
JVichols. 

Stonington.  — ■  Captain  C.  Hillard,  (saved  ;)  Mr.  Van 
Cott;  Charles  H.  Phelps;  Mrs.  Mary  Russell,  (she  had 
been  married  the  day  before.) 

John  Corey,  of  Foxborougji,  Mass.  J.  P.  Felt,  jun.,  of 
Salem,  do.  Captain  J.  D.  Carver,  of  Plymouth,  do.  Al- 
phonso  Mason,  of  Gloucester,  do.  Robert  Blake,  of  Wren- 
tham,  do.  Richard  Picket,  of  Neivburyport,  do.  Captain 
Theophilus  Smith,  of  Dartmouth,  do.  Charles  Lee,  of 
Barre,  do.  John  Lemist,  of  Roxhury,  do.  Jonathan  Lin- 
field,  of  Stoughton,  do.  Philo  Upson,  of  Egremont,  do. 
James  Walker  and  John  Gordon,  of  Camhridgeport,  do. 
Captain  Smith,  of  Dedham,  do.  Miss  Sophia  T.  Wheeler, 
of  Greenfield,  do.  Samuel  Henry,  o(  Manchester,  England. 
Rev.  Dr.  Follen,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  Mr.  Pierce,  of  Port- 
land. Royal  T.  Church,  of  Baliiinore.  Wm.  H.  Hoyt, 
mail  contractor,  Mr.  Weston,  and  John  W.  Kerle,  of  Balti- 
more. James  G.  Brown,  of  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Walker,  of 
Baltimore.  N.  F.  Dyer,  of  Pittsburg.  Captain  MattisoQ 
and  Robert  Williams,  of  Cold  Spring,  N.  Y.  David 
M'Farlane  and  Wm.  H.  Wilson,  of  Williamsburg,  L.  L 
James  Ray,  Kennebunk,  Maine.  Mrs.  Lydia  Bates,  her 
daughter,  Lydia  C.  Bates,  and  son,  James  C.  Bates,  wife 
and  children  of  James  Bates,  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Daven- 
port, of  Middletown,  Conn.  George  O.  Swan,  of  Columbus^ 
Ohio.      Mr.  John  Martin  and  Gilbert  Martin,  father  and 


432 


THE    BURNING    OF    THE    STEAMBOAT    LEXINGTON, 


n.A^-ft'*' 


son,  lately  from  England. 
Wm.  Price,  of  Portland. 


David  Greene,  of  Philadelphia 
G.  B.  Smith,  of  Brooldi/n,  L.  I. 
Mr.  Bosworth,  of  Royalton,  Vt.  Mr.  Peck,  of  Southington, 
Connecticut. 

The  officers  and  crew  of  the  hoat  ivere  George  Child,  cap- 
tain; Jesse  Comstock,  cleric ;  Edwin  Thurber,  first  mate; 
David  Crowley,  secojid  do.,  (saved ;)  Stephen  Manchester, 
2)ilot,  (saved;)  Cortland  Hempstead,  chief  engineer ;  Wil- 
liam Quimby,  second  do.  The  crew,  firemen,  and  waiters, 
numbered  thirti/.  Of  these,  Mr.  Charles  E,  Smith,  a  fire- 
man, alone  was  saved. 


LBAg'OB 


.bS'^'^Y  O"^  CONGRESS 


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